school pickup with a twenty mile wait between Key Stage  1 and Key Stage 2

Now that's what I call a big playground 

@Sewingsue I feel your pain.  When I in my early teens are read Jackie magazine, it would carry fashion articles about strappy summer dresses that I admired but could never imagine wearing because that wind is too blimmin' cold most of the year!  It was only when I moved down south that I came to realise that there were parts of Britain where such fashions could be worn without goosepimples.  When you consider that Jackie was published in my home town you do wonder what they were thinking.  Incidentally, I knew 'Cathy and Claire' the 'agony aunts' at one time - HE was a hairy biker newly graduated from St Andrews 

And when 'new money' came in @HenriettaMaria schools made a big thing about being able to convert from pound, shillings and pence to the new decimal currency but of course it didn't matter after a few weeks - we all got used to it quickly. I remember my poster for a project about the change to decimalisation read: 'The end is nigh. Repence!'

During the late 1990's I worked in Wealdstone in north London and in the main street was a fruit and veg stall that I would frequent for a bit of vitamin C.  One day I bought a bag of apples and the vendor said "seven bob", to which I, without thinking, replied, "Thirty five pence"!  Seven shillings still sounds so much more than 35p.

Hello from me too.  I've been sewing for 45+ years.  I made a suit when I was 22 that was beautiful but almost unwearable because the fabric I picked was coating, not suiting, so for most occasions it was far too hot to wear!  I learned...

There are lots of online fabric vendors and some of them will, for a small consideration, send you a swatch so you can see what it's like before committing.  I find Empress Mills are very helpful on the phone when you're not sure what you want is suitable for what you want to make.  They're also great for haberdashery at economical prices and will sell you for around £10 a wrapped-thread shade card so you can see exactly what the thread looks like against your chosen fabric.  The colours apply to all their ranges of sewing thread.


Point North is also good for giving advice over the phone, if you want to venture into outdoor fabrics.

I find hand finishing a fairly zen activity but would lose patience sewing long seams by hand - for that the sewing machine is king (queen?)

I'm currently crocheting a sweater (pics to follow eventually), a shorter version of this.  The back was fine but when I'd got up to the neck level on the front I realised I'd got the foundation row, on which the repeat is slightly different to prevent the bottom edge flaring, wrong and I therefore had too few stitches.  Had to unravel the lot and do it again!  Moral - count stitches regularly 

The pattern doesn't help.  The tension is wild.  If I get the stitches and rows down to what they suggest the resultant fabric is rigid, so I went down a size in the pattern and half a size in the hook.  Still fairly firm but usable.  I also think there are typos in the sleeve pattern, so I've gone with my gut and it seems to be working.  Just started second sleeve.

I love the idea of a *crocheted* tuxedo    What would James Bond do?

Just found it via google - it was Butterick 3727 - the tail was two panels, judging by the line drawing on the back of the envelope and they were definitely curved pieces.