Greetings from snowy New England,
It's a great time to hunker down and sew costumes, don't you think? I'm working on figure skating dresses for a show coming up in February. Perfect work for a blizzard.

Here's this issue's sewing tip:
"My upper thread is breaking! Why?"
These are the most common causes:
-The needle is in backwards
-Machine is threaded wrong
-Tension is too tight
-The needle is dull or bent or too long for the machine
-Thread is too fat for the needle being used
-There's a burr on the needle or throat plate
-The take-up spring is bent or broken
-Threads are not pulled back under presser foot when you start sewing
-Lint or dirt buildup around the bobbin area

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Get more great sewing tips in this book:
1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips
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Here's the latest article from the Costuming site at BellaOnline.com.
How to Make Your Own Beaded Appliques
Learn how to make these easy and cheap costume embellishments with just a little scrap fabric and a handful of beads.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art58766.asp

Please visit costuming.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Costuming.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Costuming located here -
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=339

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Julie Anne Eason, Costuming Editor
http://costuming.bellaonline.com