Darning egg / darning mushroom

Dear users, dear authors,
do you still use things like this?

Yes, I do. I have one that my grandmother used to use, and it’s probably about 90–100 years old by now—if not older. It started out with my mother, and when I got married, I inherited it, so I’ve had it for over 50 years now.

I’ve never even heard of a darning egg. I still have one of those darning mushrooms from my mom. I’ve had it for over 40 years, but I hardly ever use it anymore. It’s more of a keepsake. Here’s the trusty old thing.

I also remember Andrea’s darning mushroom (Bastelfan) from my mother. We had a second one too, which really was red with white spots. Unfortunately, neither of them is around anymore — so I’m delighted about the photo and that one of these mushroom specimens has now even become at home in Norway. Hardly anyone still uses one anymore ... who still darns these days?

I had never seen Akela’s darning egg before. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Thank you to you as well for showing it.

Thanks, Ina. You won't believe it, but my mom still has that red-and-white darning mushroom. I think she still uses it every now and then.

I found the mushroom in my mother-in-law’s sewing box, and the egg is mine.

My mother used a burnt-out light bulb for darning.

You can still buy darning mushrooms and eggs; I found them at a huuuuge online retailer. They’re even available from Prym in red with white dots 🍄🥚

....and yes, sometimes I still need my darning mushroom, for example, to mend a small hole in a T-shirt