It's been far too long since I posted here! So just a quick update.

My lovely friend has bought the Vogue Michael Kors (1117) so she's kindly lent it to me to try out. I guess I'm going to be her guinea pig! Will have to put it on my (ever growing) To Do list.

I must also report, with a slightly embarrassed demeanour, that I am now a Particulière owner! I didn't actually purchase it myself - my lovely friend Paula gave it to me for my 30th birthday back in February. And, I'm afraid I've got to eat my words - it's fab! It's actually nothing like Metro Chic, as evidenced in this lovely swatch someone has very kindly provided. Although all of these shades are very hard to pin down, Metro Chic is a lilacy smokey grey, whilst Particulière is a browny muddy grey. And I love them both! Although at the moment, I'm wearing How Cute Is That? by Sephora by OPI - A lovely coral tone with a slight shimmer - just right for this gorgeous sunny weather the UK is currently enjoying!

Ooh, want!

Just been browsing the Vogue patterns site and came across this little gem. That's definitely going on the Must Sew list! Wonder when the next Vogue patterns sale is on?

Update already!

Ok, so I'm pinning the pieces on now and have come across a tiny problem - the sleeves are a tad wider than the 60" wide fabric! So I'm folding back 1 1/2" at the cuff, on both sides, tapering back to nothing at the underarm:


I'll lose a little bit of fullness but I doubt it'll be noticeable. I know if I was a bit more imaginative with my fabric folding, I could fit it on 'as is', but it's only a slight adjustment....

Moi, lazy? Never!

Winter Coat Project

Quite some time ago, I promised my best friend that I would make her a winter coat. With one thing or another, the project kinda got forgotten about... until I recently rediscovered it! At the time, we bought everything we needed - from the grey 'salt & pepper' coating fabric, to the cute pink lining, to the oversized charcoal buttons:


With the weather we're having here at the moment, I want to get this done asap! So today I'm starting. I've cut the pattern (I usually trace, but she's working out to the biggest size, so I can cut the pattern and re-use it in future if I need to make a smaller size for anyone else), and am just starting to lay it on the fabric.

I'm using Vogue 8436 which is now discontinued. We're going for view B, with sash.

I've read through the instructions, and they seem really straightforward for Vogue! Also there are a few reviews on PatternReview.com, and it's classed as 'easy' which is nice (famous last words...?)

One feature that was mentioned twice on PR is that the sleeves are massive. Both reviewers said they actually altered the sleeve pattern before cutting, as it would have been far too full if they'd have cut the pattern as it was.

I'm actually tempted to keep the sleeves as they are... I just really love statement sleeves, especially this bishop-style! The rest of the coat is pretty plain so it should all balance quite nicely. My BF likes all the same things I do, which is handy - I feel confident making decisions without consulting her lol!

The one thing I'm currently undecided on is the closure. I'm not sure if I should make functioning buttonholes for the buttons, or if the buttons should just be decorative, with some sort of hidden closure underneath (Vogue recommend snaps/press studs, but I can't stand them - they're so 'homemade' looking! I'd probably go for magnetic snaps, as found on handbags.)

I'll post pics as I progress - watch this space!

So I've just read in Grazia (Jan 11) that the hot new nail colour is Chanel's Particulière, a shade described as 'greige'. There's a huge wiating list, even though the release date isn't until January 29th.

Now, I love all things Chanel just as much as the next fashionista, but isn't this 'griege' old news? As far as I know, OPI's Sephora shade Metro Chic pretty much started the greige trend over a year ago, swiftly followed by OPI's You Don't Know Jaques.

I adore Chanel's nail polishes, I really do - they're rich in colour and long lasting. But when I know I can get a similar shade, for roughly half the price from OPI (the quality of which is just as good as Chanel) I don't think I'm going to be sucked into this partcular media frenzy.

For those of you not familiar with it, there are some fab swatches here: http://www.temptalia.com/chanel-particuliere-nail-lacquer-swatches-review-photos

And here are some comparison pics from the fabulous nail polish blog All Laquered Up: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3q079pzwQucZ2QwmvHpVrSwoJ2334dShqSSWU57UmCP6i76vSJDPZkiCTQ9-6_uSd0-VVVxI9YSM57xxMeTCfwAAvGpDVBcUiZ_AQS-hi7iDBcl6_OWh9g1_RNzjiYkGbgBuY3s6oqqo/s1600-h/sephora-by-opi-metro-chic-comparison.jpg