English Country Dance Details

A few have asked what this type of dance looks like, and do you have to have dance experience?

Although known in the Georgian period, English Country Dance fully developed and became popular between about 1780 and 1830 which was called the Regency period.  It is the dance style seen in the popular Jane Austen movies, such as the PBS series of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

Over the years ECD has gone in and out of fashion but is currently experiencing a return to favor with avid dance clubs found across the nation who enjoy both the dance and period re-enactment.

The dances are done by couples (ages 13 and up), generally in a line or circle formation.  The caller announces the steps as the dance progresses, interweaving couples through the line or circle.  The dances are done to English Country Dance music which includes the classical, baroque, and Celtic/English County styles of the period.

No dance requires anything more intimate than a handshake or handclasp.  In keeping with the spirit of ECD, a chivalrous attitude and genteel society are key components of any ball.

These are active dances, so we recommend modest, secure clothing and supportive, flexible, low-heeled shoes. (Many girls choose to wear a ball room slipper, true dance shoe, or Sketcher-type shoe.)

These pictures give you an idea of what ECD looks like. Remember, NO dance experience is needed! The instructor Miss Laura Plett teaches as we dance!  

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Regency Period Costume Tips

Remember, you do NOT have to have a Regency Period costume to come to a ball, however, it is a lot of fun to look and dance the part!

So, if you want to splurge a little and join the Regency fun, for an amazingly simple Regency Period dress to sew, buy Simplicity Pattern 4055 (we found ours at JoAnn's Fabrics). 

Use our suggested alterations below for an easy, quick Regency style dress. 

Alteration suggestions for a quick Regency dress using Simplicity Patter 4055: 

Choose Bodice A but do not do the overlay for the bodice--more sewing tip instructions on that below .  We did choose to line the bodice. 

Choose Skirt A (or skirt B) as the main skirt without doing any overlay or lining--you will have a single layer of skirt, and half the sewing time.  (The pattern is set up to use Skirt A as the underskirt with Skirt B as filmy overlay to A....or to use Skirt B as the main dress material and Skirt A as an underslip/liner to B)  If you choose to do skirt A as the main single skirt, you wll get a more modern empire look (which can be worn to other functions).  If you do Skirt B as the main skirt, you will get a more marked regency period look with signficant gathers and a slightly raised back skirt/bodice seam.  More skirt tip instructions below.

Choose the puff sleeves of A. Do not line the sleeves. 

You will end up with a dress with a lined bodice, unlined, short-length puff sleeves, and a single-layer, unlined full length skirt (under which you wear a modern half slip, the longer the better).

We did our first simple dresses using Bodice A, Sleeve A, Skirt A, out of inexpensive "quilters cotton" from JoAnn's fabrics for a very nice look.  (See photos below).

The whole dress cost maybe $20 including pattern. 

Sewing tips on Simplicity Pattern 4055: 

BODICE: Simply cut 2 of every bodice piece from your dress material, 1 for the dress and 1 for the lining. (Unless you have weightier material, you will want 2 layers on the bodice for Bodice A).  Sew the bodice dress pieces together and then the bodice lining pieces together. (Note, when fitting together, the 2 curved back bodice side pieces will overhang slightly at the top neck-side edge....keep the bottom edges even, and pin and ease the curved back bodice pieces together with lots of pins to keep it flat to sew). Then place completed bodice lining and completed bodice dress (no sleeves yet, those come later) right sides together, and sew at the neckline and down back midseams (where you will have overlap for buttons/buttonholes), turn and press. Run your gather sticthes under each breast.  Gather at breasts. Now fit this sleeveless bodice as one unit to the person BEFORE sewing the sleeves or skirt onto the bodice.  You may need to make adjustments by taking in side seams, enlargening armholes, or adjusting the buttonlap midseam edges as needed.  The skirt is "forgiving" as you can simply increase or decrease the back gatherings or adjust the skirt side seams. 

Unlike the instructions, we recommend sewing both bodice front and lining as one unit onto the skirt rather than matching right sides of bodice and skirt, sewing the seam, then whip stitching the bodice lining over that inside skirt-bodice seam.  If you do it as instructed in the Simplicty pattern, it is very difficult to keep the bodice and lining from rumpling in front as you move.  It is also easier to match your bodice and lining bust gathers when they are treated as one.  You can finish the raw edges from this bodice-lining skirt seam with seam tape or leave them unfinished (it really doesn't show because of the way the back skirt placket overlaps).

Also check your arm hole allowance when fitting the bodice.  For the short puff sleeve, we found the arm holes a little tight for "bustier" types, which we corrected with a slightly larger seam allowance when in-setting the sleeves.  We also found the sleeve bands a little snug, which we corrected by taking a smaller sewing seam allowance for the sleeve bands or recutting the sleeve band a little larger and simply adjusting the gathers in the puff sleeve to accommodate.  You may also wish to add lace or cut the Bodice A pattern a little higher if the finished dress will hit too low at the neckline.

SKIRT:  Skirt A fits more narrowly,so those with wider hips may wish to add an inch to the Skirt A width during pattern cutting. Any adjustments fitting the skirt to the bodice can be made up with fewer or more gathers at the skirt back or adjusting the side seams a bit...more gathers simply create a more marked Regency look, fewer a more modern empire waist look. Unless you are using very lightweight or silky fabric, a modern half slip will work fine under either Skirt A or Skirt B as the single-layer main skirt to the dress.  This saves the sewing time of that liner!

We also simplified (or made better sense, at least to us) the sewing the back placket onto the back skirt.  Mark your midpoint on the back skirt top edge according to the pattern (or by measuring halfway).  Take the skirt placket and fold in half.  Measure that half-placket length, down the skirt midline from this skirt/bodice edge top midpoint.  Note where placket (folded in half) ends.  Mark that spot.  Cut skirt back from top edge to your marked spot.  Finish one long edge of your placket.  Open skirt slit and pull straight.  Right sides together, pin raw placket edge across opened slit using full length of placket.  Now with pinned placket on top, sew placket to skirt with a graduated seam starting at 5/8 inch at left skirt top edge narrowing to almost the edge of material by the marked spot, then graduating back out to 5/8 inch again to the right skirt top edge...the whole sewing pattern will resemble a "V."  Turn and press placket to inside of skirt.

For more in depth adjustments and information, go to the Sense and Sensibility website. The lady who designed the dress for the Simplicity pattern sells her own more "authentic" pattern on her website but gives sewing and alteration instructions for both pattern types. 

 

Our Dress Experiences

 

The Light Blue and Peach dresses below use Bodice A (with lace at neckline), Skirt A (without overlay) for a more modern empire look, and Sleeve A. 

        

 

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