Pannier planning & steampunk adventures

I've been getting some real life sewing done (a dress I wore to my boyfriend's grandmother's 80th birthday, a hand puppet for my goddaughter, some much needed alterations) but neglected costuming for a bit, thinking I had to buy new fabric for the big panniers...
Then I sat down and sketched, based on my waist size (an idea I got from this post by Lauren of american-duchess.com) This is what I came up with:

Turns out the linen in my stash is enough... so I'm fresh out of excuses.

Some costuming has been going on despite the sewing pause: Last weekend, some friends and I went to a museum to see Germany's first steampunk exhibit. It was quite nice and an occasion to dress up is always welcome.
I wore my hair in a simple braided updo and dressed in a rather severe style in black and white with no drapery. The bustle and skirt are by me, the blouse is a second hand folk costume one.

Court ensembles project

It's official! I'm participating in Kendra's Court Ensembles Project  and this is going to be the beauty I'm trying to recreate:

It's british and a bit on the late side, so it's much more "normal" looking, but that's part of the appeal for me - it's something I probably wouldn't have done otherwise, but I could totally wear it to a few local events. (Costume College is just too far away for me, at least for the next two years)

So now I'm looking for the right fabric - it's a silk satin according to the V&A, but I'm thinking about using silk taffeta instead, because the satins I've seen so far didn't appeal to me and at almost double the price of taffeta they'd better at least look prettier. From what I've read so far, taffeta would have been alright - if anyone knows better, please tell me!

First of all, I'll need proper panniers, so far I've only made pocket hoops and a bum pad. I'm thinking about using the diagram from Corsets and Crinolines and altering it, as it's more flared.

In the meantime, the mid-15th century has me in its grip, as I'm off sick for the week and using the time spent on the sofa to hand-sew an overdress. Sewing large amounts of woolen fabric is just really cozy.