Is it an embroidery hoop? Is it a darning mushroom?

It's both! Meet the Clover stitch dome.

The stitch dome ensures consistent, even fabric tension for smooth, precise, pucker-free stitches and darns.

It’s useful for areas that are difficult to mend with an embroidery hoop or darning mushroom, such as shirt collars, cuffs and hems.

I love using mine to darn my sock heels, which I often wear out in large sections; the large metal surface (86mm diameter) is reflective and highlights threadbare areas as well as holes, so I can mend all of the damage the first time and not be unpleasantly surprised later (see photo for example).

Advantages of a stitch dome vs a darning mushroom:

• Easier to fit in tight spaces, like shirt sleeves (no handle to wrangle)
• You don’t need to cover the whole dome to use it, so you can mend fabric edges: shirt collars, cuffs, hems, etc.
• More secure mending – the silicone rubber band secures fabric and won’t budge when you pause your mending spree and leave it in a travel bag or mending kit.
• Light-reflecting stainless steel makes it easier to identify worn, damaged areas in fabric
• Gentle curve makes it suitable for use beyond sock mending, for flat sections of garments.
• Bigfoot-approved – wider surface (86mm) accommodates larger holes and damage

Advantages of a stitch dome vs an embroidery hoop:

• Easier to fit in tight spaces
• No screws to adjust or get in the way
• Silicone rubber band is a tighter fit and requires less readjusting over time
• Gently curved surface is a more natural fit for curved sections of clothing, e.g. sock heels and armpits

The stitch dome’s stretchy silicone rubber band is very strong – getting it on the dome is fiddly and can take a minute. But once it’s on, it’s on, and you don’t have to adjust it or worry about it sliding or falling off while you work or in between mending sessions.

To use:

• Place the stitch dome under the section of fabric to be mended.
• Secure the fabric to the dome with the silicone rubber band
• Mend!

Made in Japan from stainless steel and silicone rubber, packaged in a slim cardstock box with no additional packaging materials.

NOTE: The stitch dome is only compatible with the silicone rubber band included. It won’t take standard rubber bands or sewing elastic, as there is nothing for them to grip onto. For a long, happy product life, remove band from dome when not in use and store them in the same container (or original packaging) so you don’t lose them.

Want to see how it’s done? Modern Mending the book includes 18 pages of hand-stitching instructions, 32 pages of darning instructions and 30 pages of patching instructions, with photographs and illustrated diagrams.

 

Slow mode

This shop is in slow mode so I can do alllll the things – including running this shop and running after two tiny tots – and enjoy my life. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated.

I'm currently dispatching orders once a week; place your order by 5pm Thursday Melbourne time (AEST) for dispatch by Monday.
(NOTE: I drop off most orders at my local post office on Fridays, but I'm told they don't physically leave the post office and start making their way to you until Monday.)

If you select Express Post at checkout, it will speed up Australia Post's delivery timeframe but won't speed up my process.

After your order has been packed, you will receive an email notification with your Australia Post tracking number, which you can use to check on the delivery status of your order.

Local delivery

Customers in Northcote, Thornbury and nearby suburbs (subject to capacity) can select local delivery at checkout. Local delivery is extra-slow and coincides with my pram-walking/kid-wrangling schedule, up to one week after purchase. ٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶