What is a darning plate for?

My sewing machine manual has nothing noted about it, other than that it came with the machine! A quick search on google turned up nothing informative.

Thanks!
Sandalscout

 

It it smooth? I think what you are talking about is a throat plate that allows you to move your fabric freely under the needle, without the feed dogs guiding it straight. That way you can stitch lines back and forth over an area to "darn" or mend a hole in fabric. It might be called a "free-motion" plate in your manual...

Hop this helps.

 

I think that is what it is! (btw, the "manual" that came with my machine is 1 paper, with a list of materials, how to load the thread and bobbin, and how to use the basic stitches!)

Thank you!