UK peas....questions....lots of questions!!

How exciting!

Central London is very expensive...definitely including the areas you're talking about, but of course that's comparative. I assume you're renting? Basically the further out of London you travel the less pricey it is but of course you will want to balance that with desirability of the area, but clearly that means a longer commute! Nothing that's cycle-able is going to get any cheaper really. 

Public transport is good in London, you can certainly manage without a car except for the physical marshalling of 3 or more children onto a bus with a buggy etc    Parking in London is pretty much always an issue so it would be easier in that sense at least!

You won't have any problem sourcing fabrics and I'm not sure why you would necessarily want American? I don't know anything about sewing machines specifically but which you choose would purely be about cost of buying a new one and whether that's more convenient for you or whether you prefer to have your own. There's no difficulty at all in buying a decent machine here.

Pre schools are very common, yes. As for schools, you need to look at some facts and figures on the performances and it will vary quite a lot, especially depending on where you live. Private schooling is very expensive, but again, that's my opinion and I have no idea what's expensive to you   


Yes, travel is still easy. Of course we don't know yet what Brexit will change as we haven't left yet. That'll be an ongoing and evolving picture.

Sewing

This might interest you.

www.ichfevents.co.uk/whats_on.php

This site has lots of info about travelling to Europe by train or ferry

www.seat61.com/

You can catch the Eurostar from King's Cross and be in Paris in a few hours.

www.eurostar.com/

Yes, a bit overwhelming to say the least!

I'm British, lived in the US and Japan for 14 years and we're about to move back to the U.K. This summer for 2 years. We decided not to live in central London due to the cost, minimal space, and inconvenience. We'll be living in Surrey about 20 mins from Heathrow as DH travels a lot.
Not sure if you'll have a company budget, but my DS needs to continue with a US curriculum, so he'll be going to ACS Cobham.

I also sew, and have a Janome machine bought in the US. Usually electrical items with motors don't work properly, so my kitchen aid mixer also won't work. You can buy a cheap machine when you're there though. Look at Amazon.co.uk.
As far as buying fabric, there's really nothing like Joanns in the U.K., but there are lots of independent fabric stores. Quilting is not as popular so not as many stores. Best to bring your stash over with you!

How exciting for you; I'm envious!

get a book on culture shock.. even though we sort of speak the same language.. there is certainly culture shock.. they don't do things the same, the groceries are different, the assumptions about life are different. as a former expat, I don't think people think enough about this.

I thought this might be helpful to the sewing part. Sew Over It

They hold sewing classes and what they call a 'sewing cafe' where you can go to work on your projects, it might be helpful in meeting people. Also they do some gorgeous patterns and fabric.

I have heard from many people here who have lived all over that culture shock can be worse when you go from the US to the UK (or vice versa) than if you go somewhere very different, or with a different language. I expected things to be very different in Germany than back home, not least the fact that it was a new language, so that cushions it a bit. If you go in thinking 'OK, so they speak English, we'll be fine' the differences come as more of a surprise. 

 The other Brits have given you a lot of info already. I'll just add a few more bits.

Unless you're a multi millionaire no one lives in the center of London. Property prices and rents are astronomical so you would need to seriously think of where you are going to commute from. If you have the post code ( zip code) of the office it would make it easier to recommend where or perhaps your DH could ask the HR in the office he'll be working from, they should be able to give him some tips of where is best.
Public transport is pretty good in London itself and the commuter belt around the greater London area is popular and well used....most people commute into London by train. That isn't to say that a car wouldn't be beneficial to you as a family as you would need it to travel in your leisure time if you want to see more of the UK and Europe as well as you might need one if the children do after school activities and for shopping.
Be careful in your choice of schools. Research the ones in your district when you find accommodation. Or if you find a good school try and get the accommodation in that district! They start school here full time the September following their 4th birthday. The school year for age goes from 1st September to 31st August. So at 4/5 they would be in Reception 5/6 yrs  would be year 1.  They do have pre-school and they usually start at 3 years old, some you find start at 2.5 yrs. Some public schools have pre-school/nursery units attached to them but there are many that are privately run too. I found this website for Americans in London about education over here.

Unless you're very attached to your sewing machine I would say buy one when you get here. You'll find all the popular makes here. There are a number of fabric shops in London itself mostly individually owned rather than a big box type of store.

There won't be any travel changes for you as a non European because of Brexit. 

Exciting time for you as a family.

Having made the move a few times  I can offer a little insight.

I sold everything to move to the UK with my husband. We lived there for 10 years.  He owned a flat and had all the necessities.  I just had to focus on making his bachelor pad a family home!  

With the exchange rate right now it might not be too bad.. but everything will be more expensive than you are used to paying.  Of course you can hit up Ikea, and car boot sales etc. to furnish a house cheaper.  

When we left the UK we packed up all our stuff and shipped it.  That was expensive but his company paid a good chunk of it. When I moved back to the US I paid to move our stuff, but no furniture. Again its not cheap.

If you are planning on moving back to the US. I would take the bare minimum.  Clothes, etc are all going to be more expensive.  But of course that is part of the fun of it.


Personally I would not sell everything, I would store it while you are gone. IF you do a good cull before you leave and you will naturally do another one when you return you will end up with having things you love and not a lot of junk.

As for Kitchen stuff you can get anything you want/need in the UK. The only thing I had trouble finding was a broom I liked.  Couldn't find a good O'Ceadar broom with angled bristles.  

School starts in the UK at the very end of August or beginning of September. They have a lot more breaks during the year and a shorter summer. The break will be nice for traveling within the UK and Europe.