What do you call the part where the thread goes through the needle?

Put the end of the thread through the 'eye' (hole) of the needle.

But, if you're having trouble:

1. Use scissors to trim the end of the thread at an angle.

2. Make sure your needle is rust free and has nothing gumming up its eye.

3. Dampen the end of the thread, either with your mouth or with a damp thumb and forefinger.

4. Hold the end of the thread between thumb and forefinger so that it sticks out only a little, is pointing at you, and you can see it clearly.

5. Move the needle away from you and onto the end of the thread. You'll have an itty bitty end sticking through.

6. Carefully grasp the end of the thread, and pull through to desired length.

If you're having even more trouble:

1. Get yourself a needle-threader. They often appear in prepackaged sewing kits, and in sewing stores. They consist of a small handle holding a diamond of fine, flexible wire.

2. Put the point of the wire diamond into the eye of the needle, and gently push through. It flexes shut to go through the eye and opens when fully through.

3. Put the end of thread through the open diamond.

4. Pull the diamond out of the needle's eye, bringing the end of thread with it.

If you're threading a sewing machine:

Follow most of the steps above, except that you can't move the needle. Most machines are threaded front-to-back, but it's a good idea to check your manual. If the thread breaks a lot, one of the possible reasons is a needle threaded the wrong way.

Now bring in the camel!