Skirt Pleated

So the trim is staying how it is on the shoulders. (Thanks Jane and Crystal:-)) And I am glad ya'll think it looks right,  because I wasn't looking forward to altering it!

In a spurt of energy, despite the heat last night, I was able to cartridge pleat my skirt onto my bodice.

The skirt is made from two panels of velvet, the front roughly three times the width of the front of the bodice and the back about four times as wide as the back of the bodice. The back is wider for deeper pleats and more fullness down the back. Instead of padding the pleats with wool, I simply folded the velvet over twice, as if making a very wide hem and stitched it down. I then basted the muslin lining into place.

I call what I have done 'cartridge pleating'. However I have never actually seen other's cartridge pleating in person where I can examine the process, nor have I found any good tutorials. What I did was whipstitch the outside edge of each pleat fold to the bottom edge of the bodice, and then went back and reinforced the position of the inside folds with a heavy thread. It looks right on the outside, but I'm fairly sure the inside has things that could be done differently. If anyone could point me in the right direction I would be most grateful.

I'll move on to the sleeves next as I am unsure how I want to finish off the hem on the skirt...and I am also waiting to see if I have sufficient time to think about tackling the appliqué around the bottom of the skirt.

So, I'm off for a glass of wine and sleeve mockup....