Should I Darn my Pointe Shoes?

I always used to darn my pointe shoes - but then, in those days, most people did!   Of course, professionals rarely darned their shoes, because they just didn't last long enough - but everyone else went through the ritual every time they bought a new pair of pointe shoes. 

If you don't darn your shoes, the satin on the tip wears away very quickly and the raw edges tend to curl up, so you end up with a rather bald-looking area around the pointe.   The platform can become smushy quite quickly, too.

If you darn your pointe shoes properly with crochet thread, the darning will take a long time to wear away.  Yes, it will get dirty and matted, but it will stay put.  So instead of a shoe with the satin peeling back from the pointe, you'll have a shoe which is pink satin right to the edges of the darn.

The darning also serves as reinforcement so the platform stays firm longer, and it will give you more traction on the floor (which is especially useful if you're doing a number with lots of pirouettes).