Ninjamom Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 I’m hoping someone can help me! I’ve been darning pointe shoes for a while but have recently been given a pair of Bloch Lisse to darn. They have the toughest satin which makes it near impossible to get a needle through. Does anyone here have any tips that can help me? Is there a method of temporarily softening the satin maybe? I’ve searched through the forums but can’t find anything. 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointeshoesarethedream Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Can the dancer dance in them first? That sometimes loosens the satin! The last pair of Bloch I darned a month or so ago were horrendous as the satin was so good tight it kept splitting. I had to go under the satin (what was left of it) at an angle to get it to hold. One side was much worse than the other. I’ve got a pair of Bloch Lisse to darn this week but they’re going back to the dancer this eve as they are needed for class and I’m hoping that will help a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninjamom Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 I have read dancing on them helps but unfortunately this isn’t possible. I don’t think it’s the glue though, I think it’s the actual satin. It’s like it’s double the thickness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 You can buy little suede patches to glue on the ends of the shoes - this is what my DD uses. I think they are made by Grishko. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninjamom Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 I think suede patches are quite popular, but this particular school insist on pointe shoes being darned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 If the satin was really difficult I’d sometimes put a needle in at an angle so it was flat to to platform and wriggle it about to loosen the satin. I’d also use a rubber needle grip and if desperate a piece of wood to bang needle through material. I do not miss darning pointe shoes at all 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Hello Ninjamom and welcome to the Forum! If you click on the darning tag I have added to the top of the thread you will find older threads with advice that may help. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalletMumOfOne Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Hi, my DD wears Bloch Lisse, and I darn them from new (not softened) but would agree they are extremely tough! I’m fairly new to darning so definitely no expert, and have only ever darned this style so can only advise what I use which is a strong straight needle, a thimble to push through at an angle and pliers to bring/wiggle through the other side. I only darn the edges though but have to say it does take my hands a while to recover after, just enough time for a new pair to be started xx 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninjamom Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 Thank you all for your advice. I’ve managed to darn one shoe, just very slowly!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 It's a long time since I darned pointe shoes, but I do seem to remember using a flat-bladed screwdriver or the end of a teaspoon, scraping it back and forth over the satin (for ages and ages) until it worked loose enough to darn. What a palaver. Some shoes are far worse than others, even of the same make - I think it must be down to the over-enthusiastic application of glue by some makers! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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