Welcome!
I’ve been sewing and making costumes since 2004. My sister Sabrina was an enthusiastic costumer who taught me several basic skills. The resulting “First Dress” sent me down the path and the rest is history. I’m more of a costume-maker than a wearer, but try to attend at least a couple of local costume events each year. As of 2015 I hold a Certificate in Apparel Design from the College of Alameda.
My formal background is in ballet, and I’ve been a dancer (more or less) my entire life. I started in RAD at the age of 6, trained with Sally Streets at Berkeley Ballet Theater, and began performing with the company when I was 15. I still take regular class. And as of 2020 I have taken up early dance. Specifically, dances from the European Courts of the Renaissance and Baroque. It’s a great challenge which combines some of my favorite things: dance classes, research (of period dance manuals and notation), and historic costume. It has also, unsurprisingly, made the ridiculously long costume wish list, even longer.
I put together this website when I first started costuming, as a format for displaying and documenting my projects. Maintaining it has really become a hobby in and of itself. My mom offers a great deal of help by editing all of my writing. Most of the photos are taken by my husband Aaron DuBois. He also makes a great model. This site is also my way of honoring Sabrina’s memory – a place to display her work and some of her creative spirit.
Contact Heather: historicalalterations at yahoo.com (just change the “at” to an “@”)
