Dear Costume Goddess,

I'm having trouble finding a strong but unnoticable way to attach my coins, beads, and bells. They stay fine for a while but then begin to fly off which is dangerous and costly. Someone said to use dental floss but if I leave enough slack for the shimmy the floss shows and looks tacky! Any suggestions?

--Loose Coins In The Fountain

Dear Loose,

You're right--coins, bells, and beads will shake and jingle properly only when sewn to your garment loosely, leaving about an eighth inch of slack. The thread better be stronger than plain old machine sewing thread, because flying ornaments do distract from your performance.

As far as I know, dental floss comes in white only (except for the green, mint-flavored kind!) and although strong, it's not designed to hold the weight and friction of heavy ornaments over time. So unless your costume is white or green, and your coins are very light, I think it's not a good choice.

The heaviest weight of beading thread, available in bead and craft shops, is a suitable thickness and comes in black as well as white. I've also had good results with button thread, which is very thick and waxy and comes in a variety of colors to match or blend into costume. You can get this at fabric stores.

Make sure the thread is anchored securely to the costume edge through several thicknesses, using a knot and several backstitches. Some like to wax their thread for extra resistance to friction. Go through the coin or bell twice or more with a double thickness of thread. For a bead, go through as many times as the bead opening will easily allow.

A trick you might use, if the design of your costume allows, is to sew a narrow, attractive trim loosely over the uppermost row of coins to cover the exposed threads, making sure to leave the threads free to move. The threads on the lower rows, if any, should be covered by the coins above.

As always, examine the costume well before each wearing for any sign of damage or loose threads, and fix it.

--The Costume Goddess

Other articles on this web site that you may find helpful include:

Ask The Costume Goddess: Where To Buy Coins. Here's how to find sources for coins. Ask the Costume Goddess: Soft-Cup Bras for Costumes? Can you use a soft-cup bra to make your costume? Ask The Costume Goddess: Beads Connecting Bra. How can beaded strands be used to connect a bra to a collar?

Ask the Costume Goddess: How to Cover a Bra. Describes how to cover a purchased bra with costume fabric. Ask The Costume Goddess: For Large Bustlines. Bra shopping tips for well-endowed dancers.

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