BEYOND the STRANDLINE TIP OF THE WEEK:

DENTAL FLOSS:  It’s a dancer’s trick. Ballerina’s have to sew ribbons on their shoes and mend costumes—constantly. Nothing works better or holds up tougher than using dental floss for mending clothes, backpacks, and shoes. Waterproof, heavy duty, and almost impossible to wear out, dancers use dental floss instead of regular thread for quick mending jobs. It’s tougher than quilting thread.

Stock up. Dental floss is a fabulous multi-use item to include in your storage. Just make sure you also store heavy duty needles with larger eyes.

In the novel, Beyond the Strandline, Tess recognizes her backpack because of the dental floss used to mend rips and tears in it. It’s one of those details that come from shared experience and thinking through various emergency scenarios.