It is lovely to be back at regency era English Country Dance right here at home. My husband and I joined the Lord Grey’s English Country Dance Society to dance each month in Clarksburg a couple of seasons ago, but our jobs down south created too much confusion in scheduling and geography.

Since we dance in Stoney Creek and at Fort George when working in the Niagara region, we’ve been able to keep up our skills to dance at the upcoming Apple Blossom Ball at the Marsh Street Centre. I can’t wait! We went to a practice in Clarksburg on Sunday and it was wonderful to see familiar faces and meet new people.

For our first balls I sewed this fancy dress and matching vest that you can see in the photo. I often did the hand sewing in the car while Chris drove during our weekend commutes (when I wasn’t grading tests). I made Chris’ jacket and pants by modifying an old tuxedo he had. The dress is based on a Butterick pattern.