Making Monday - Adventures in Sewing

Hello. Kiki the Maker here. I like to make all kinds of things and Monday is my favorite day to do it. Why? Because I don't have to go to work on Monday and my kids still have to go to school on Monday. So I get to make stuff all day long.
And so we shall commence with the show and tell.
I made that nightie that's been in my head for a while. I took a shirt pattern that had the basic shape I wanted (Simplicity 4589) and just made it longer and, let's be honest, a little wider around the hinie too. I had in mind originally the Canterbury nightie that Victoria's Secret used to make. If you know the nightie of which I speak, you are also old just like me. It was long and had a ruffle at the bottom and lace at the top - a square neck and no sleeves. Perfect. They still make it, but it's knit and short and just not the same.
Anyway, this didn't turn out at all like that. It's a little more clean and modern-shaped and even though I'd planned to do the long ruffle at the bottom (using my new ruffler foot for my sewing machine), I just couldn't do it to my nice, clean-lined nightie. So, there you have it. Done. Nightie photos? Eh...probably not appropriate. I'd take a picture of it all on its lonesome if I were not already wearing it. Maybe some other time. But here it is on the machine:

What else did I make today? Well, I finished a party frock. You all know that the Autumnal Equinox is coming soon (Monday the 22nd) and I could not let this opportunity for a themed dress pass me by. I went with Vintage Vogue 2903 and it sure tested my skilz, which are pretty much not skilz yet anyway. For starters, I know this line of patterns doesn't run true to size - like, if you measure and pick the size on the envelope? It will be wrong. So I went down a size and still had to re-adjust a lot. Plus I had to make the petite adjustments because I am very short. And there's this yoke in the neckline that the sleeves attach to? Yikes. Because I had to shorten the straps even more, the yoke was all wonky, and I tried to shorten the yoke's straps, but it was worse, so I just took it out. No sleeves, no yoke. I have been actually working on this dress for a couple of days - I don't want any of you to get the impression that I am magic and can make two garments in one day. And I want you to know that I spent my entire morning making the sleeves and attaching them to the yoke. They were beautiful sleeves that didn't get used. Oh well.
Off-the-shoulder straps and princess seams with big pleats down the front? Nice. My first successful zipper? Even nicer. Make that one invisible zipper, right in the middle of the back. Yessss. There will be decent photos of this one, once I'm wearing my leaf crown and (hopefully) my Honeybee Stole for the party. And my bow-toed black slingbacks, of course. For now, here's a sneak peek at the shoulder (there are still threads to be snipped that you can see):

Oh - and? Honeybee Stole and I worked down about 18 rows today. About thirty-six more rows will mean the end of the middle section. For good. The rest of it should go faster if my memory serves me correctly....and I think I can squeeze in five or six more rows before I get to bed to make this a Very Accomplishing sort of day.

DAILY BLISS: Sleeves! I made sleeves! And they were beautiful! The birds looked at me a little bit funny from their cages, they didn't know what in the world I was making high-pitched squealing noises about.

PS: I'm going to order some lotion ingredients this week. Just putting all interested parties on alert.