Victorian Winter Dress: First Steps

So, a lot happened in anticipation for sewing this dress. I made the Victorian Undergarments, bought a new sewing machine and a ruffler foot. I've got to say that after the first day of sewing on the skirt I'm happy with the equipment I bought.

The machine works well with the thick velvet and effortlessly switches between the thick (pleated) fabric and the silk trims.
I've used my Serger (Lock machine) for underlining the skirt and finishing other raw edges, since the dupion silk frays when handling it.

The ruffler foot works wonders for the trims I'm making. I did break like 2 needles and made some test pleats before I got the hang of it.

Although I can't show you pictures of the front piece I've sewn today, since it won't hang right yet, I've made a picture to show you the fabrics I'll be using.

On the left is the main fabric. I'm not sure it's velvet, but it's more a suede kind of fabric. Really soft and beautiful and on the right the Dupion silk which is pleated with the ruffler foot.