Learnings from sewing a Nightie

I sewed this nightie for my wife for Valentine's Day.  Of course, I bought her one from Macy's as a backup---some risks aren't worth taking.

I used primarily a video by GiannyL as a basis.  However, I made some modifications---I made the spaghetti straps myself out of the same material, and my wife wasn't interested in any lace trim.

How does it compare to store-bought night gown?

The neck curve puckered a little because I didn't notch it.

You could probably buy a comparable garment for $25-50.  I spent $20, and ten hours.  The looks are comparable.  My seams are imperfect, but if you don't look closely you wouldn't notice, and when my wife is wearing it I have better things to look at.  I suspect my garment is "sturdier" --- but who needs a sturdy nightgown?  The one advantage is that I did get to choose precisely the color I wanted.  My wife is a redhead and looks great in royal blue.  The "satin" is really polyester with a shiny side and a less shiny side. The less shiny side is a little coarse to be against skin, so I made this harder than GiannyL's construction by using a French seam on the sides.

A French seam runs up the side, but the bottom doesn't need it.

What I Learned

• I need to research fabric more. Satin looks nice, but isn't really a great fabric for sleepwear.
• Sewing curves perfectly requires cutting notches or some other technique that I have yet to master.
• Satin has zero give. You have to fit it perfectly. Luckily, I was able to do that.
• I tried to make this with a fitted waist as GiannyL shows.  But my wife's bust is a few inches bigger than her waist.  I made the first model to my wife's waist size, and she couldn't get the waist over her bust. I know this must be obvious to any woman, but now I understand why a standard tight-fitting woman's dress has a zipper in the back: otherwise you can't put it on!  That is really the difference between this garment and a cocktail dress.  To make a dress, I would take in the waist and add a zipper.  Instead, I cut it completely straight down the sides, so basically the waist is the same size as the bust.
• You can fix things with a seam ripper---but not using the kind of thread I was using with short stitch on satin.  It was impossible to unpick a seam in this situation.
• Taking body measurements work, but with this fabric, you have to be very precise.
• Sometimes the garment ends up looking good even when you do a poor job with the details.

Was it worth it?

Once again, in pure economic terms, this was a catastrophic failure: I made about $1 per hour, and have some scrap satin left over. However, if the lessons learn allow me to someday make a properly tailored dress that my wife might be willing to wear, it might be more economical.  In terms of learning and the finished garment, it was another step up the learning curve.