Saw this, so gorgeous  https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2023/sep/10/social-history-sewn-english-street-scenes-embroidery-in-pictures

As there has been a lot of talk about blocks recently I suddenly remembered this;
Free patterns
Which is a site I used many years ago and then promptly forgot all about!
Free block patterns as well as a few others!

If you are ever on a visit to deepest darkest Norfolk and wondering if there is any fabric shops around then I am sure us locals will all agree they are few and far between and mostly quite small (if not filled with just about everything that can be crammed into a tiny space).
So it was with some trepidation that we went on a family trip to The Big C's craft and furniture warehouse in Wymondham yesterday.  It is tucked away on an industrial estate down by the railway station and it IS a warehouse.  In my mind I was thinking it would be just a few bits but worth a look so in we all trundled to the first area that was full of furniture and a few books and kids toys.
We had a look round there and the kids picked up some DVD's and books but the most appealing aspect was the group of ladies sitting knitting by another door so, obviously, I headed in that direction.
I walked in and a slight zinging started in my brain as a large, large room was revealed to me stuffed full of all the crafts you could possible wish to try out in your lifetime! 
I couldn't possibly begin to tell you everything that was in there but for on here I will say full embroidery silks were 25p and there was a big choice of kits at varying prices.  Balls of wool were sorted into colour with the exception of mohair that was 50p a ball!  I did see black cotton yarn at 50p a ball and cones for knitting machines were plentiful at various prices.  Moving on to thread at 50p a reel (worth having a good look through as some were new, some were used and, inevitably, some were old and probably past their use by date.
GS1 suddenly became my favourite as he got giddy with excitement.  His brain went like mine and was trying to work out what he could make 
He picked some brown fabric, 2m, that he wants to make himself a Viking tunic from.  Found some silver fabric, 2m, to make a Viking hat.  Then decided that he wanted to make Ozzy ragdoll a Thor costume and found some red for the cloak.  He was looking at all the available things and going
"Oh look, this would do for...(insert)" and I was looking at the price and he was then just throwing it all in the basket.  We also got a reel of fur trim for 50p! and a piece of red fur fabric for him.
I got  metres of ribbon and lace of different colours.  3m of some gorgeous white with black polka dot georgette fabric and 3m of purple/pink georgette.  We also got some threads.  The basket was full to the brim of all these things.  It was indeed a wonderful half hour and the grand total spent?
£18 
They did have fabrics separated out so the quilting, furnishing, dressmaking etc was all in different places, but absolutely worth having a good trawl through everything.
I am in no way suggesting it is somewhere to go if you are looking for something specific but, sewing patterns and knitting patterns were there at very cheap prices and some were unused.  Painting supplies, papercrafting supplies.  You name it, is was there!
I was on a dopamine high for the rest of the day 

I thought it may be a bit of fun to show each other what costumes their smalls are wearing this year!
I have two I am involved in.

GS2 wants to be Percy Jackson. As his brothers actual name is Jackson he refers to himself as Percy Ozzy which is his name DD1 is delighted with that as there is no costume, he just needs a shield, so Granddad is on shield duty and I will paint it when made.

GS1, remember him, the history nerd?  He wants to be a Norman, specifically William the Conqueror, because of me finding out we were his descendants! Yesterday we needed a trawl through the second hand book shop for any books of the period.  Being a perfectly average 8 year old he came away with a Domesday book and Anglo Saxon chronicles because they are both authentic of the time! He also took home my book on the Bayeux tapestry so he could study the bits with William in.

Then we had to look online for what real Normans wore as he had already looked at the costumes for kids on Amazon but he told me they all had the wrong clothing or the wrong shaped shield 

So I will be making him a tunic (luckily he doesn't mind it being not authentic fabric as long as it looks right), Granddads shield making duties involve a proper kite shape shield (doesn't everyone know the Normans didn't have round shields?), I need to paint the family crest on the front. The discussion on that was immense.  Should it be the real William's royal crest?  Would that be too generic?  Should he have mummy's old name? That doesn't work as it is my family that the tree descends to. He is going to have Daddy's crest as GS found daddy's family name mentioned in the Domesday book so it all wraps up nicely  We then had a chain mail discussion.  I offered to knit, but it won't look overly metal, he ended up with the decision of making it from metallic coarse net which I dutifully ordered.

Then he was mightily concerned about which book he was representing.  He really wanted to do the Anglo Saxon chronicles but felt that most children in his class would not know what it was and he would have to explain it all the time. So we settled on the Horrible Histories book on the Normans! All of these conversations took place with me and his mum just looking at each other wishing it would end, but it was all so very important to him!

In effect the costume will take little time to make as just tunics, the conversation about it probably took longer 
I promise you, I learn more historical facts from this 8 year old than I ever learned in school!
Edit to add the instructional picture I was given
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Looked in the bag at the fabric for the bridesmaids dress and it is a beautiful satin backed crepe.  It was bought and ordered by the bride but it has been cut and sent in one metre lengths all individually packaged :thinking:

Why would it be sent like that?  Usually, even if you are buying off ebay etc it will come in one length. 

It won't affect the making of the dress as there is plenty of fabric but I have never seen this before, have any of you?

I have been looking at many sites for ideas on crewel work at the moment and came across this one
Needlenthread
It is absolutely full of information on various types of hand embroidery as well as some wonderful 'how to' videos on many stitches.
It has also been going since 2006 with posts every week so you can imagine how much there is on there!
It has kept  me entertained while stuck in the chair 

So after popping out and buying some needles and wool and knitting the unicorn, then knitting a couple of Dickensian mice, I had a visit from the grandsons.
So, of course, next on the list comes a dinosaur and a Godzilla (did you guess?)
Sat with eldest GS and looked at patterns (in my naivety), picked a couple out and said, 'yes dear, of course I will knit those for you'.
Then last night looked at the patterns.
In the round 
'Double ended needles' was my pronouncement (pretending to know what the hell I was talking about) to OH, then began to google.  Looked on here.  Googled again.  Read more on here.
Circular needles and sets of needles and... and... and... the price 
Did this again 
One of the patterns said 'stuff as you knit'!
Do these people not have cats???
So i just ordered some double ended needles that did not cost an arm and a leg and now sit here warily awaiting their arrival.
What have I let myself in for?
I think I will knit a scarf next 
BB

Would you need to cut binding on the bias for stretch fabric?
Surely you cut on the bias for the stretch? Just starting on a top that I want to put binding on and found myself pondering the necessity of cutting it on the bias.
BB