The usual way, as had been handed down through the ages, is, of course, to squint one eye, take the fraying end of a piece of string, and, with some help from saliva and scissors, jab it through the ...

As a kid, were you ever taught how to thread a needle? I have to admit that I never quite learned to sew, and I usually give even the most minor of tears in my clothing to the dry cleaner to fix.