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GET WHAT YOU NEED TO Find your style and sew it with confidence

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NOW OPEN: GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE HISTORICAL SEWING ARCHIVE IN THE WORLD

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Plus, join an active community of sewing enthusiasts, historybounders, and costume-makers that will inspire you to bring your creative vision to life.

It’s all in our exclusive Foundations Revealed Essentials Membership.

cathyhay

Hi! I'm Cathy Hay.

I'm a historical dressmaker on a lifelong journey to help creative makers like us find and express ourselves through our clothing. I started Foundations Revealed in 2007, and since then my team and I have helped hundreds of thousands of costumers, historybounders, and fashion enthusiasts (like you, perhaps?) learn how to design and sew their own clothing. 

What started as a resource for sewists and historical clothing geeks has grown into something I could never have imagined. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and as we stayed at home and did our best to cope with a global tragedy, something incredible happened… people started leaning into their hobbies and interests. I like to think that making and creating became a bright beacon of hope in the midst of a very dark year.

As a result, the Foundations Revealed community experienced enormous growth in 2020 - so much so that our annual contest had TWELVE times the typical number of entries. It's such a good problem to have, since it means so many makers are embracing their true creative identities. However, it also meant my team and I were completely overwhelmed (in a good way). 

So why am I sharing all this with you?

I never thought I'd say there could be too much of a good thing, yet here we are. With so much growth in such a short timeframe, I’ve been busily bringing as many new team members and Mentors as I can. 

And it’s been working until this point, but now I’ve got another good problem I need to solve: making sure everyone has access to the materials and support they need, while also ensuring my team doesn’t burn out from working around the clock. 

This year, we’re doing a lot of learning and a lot of hard work behind the scenes, both to restructure the Foundations Revealed membership and make it even better, and to make it a truly inclusive and welcoming space for all. 

I know I promised to open the doors to Foundations Revealed at some point in the Spring of 2021, and it feels like I blinked and we’re suddenly in June. I don't want you to feel like you have to wait to start your first or next sewing project until we reopen in the Autumn, so here's the solution I've come up with: 

 We have an exclusive new membership tier called Essentials, and it’s over 25% less than our traditional membership. We’ve only offered Essentials once before, as an experiment. Given the enthusiastic response, we decided to bring it back (upgrade opportunities, such as our Academy tier, will become available again later). 

So if you’ve been waiting for enrolment to open up again, I hope you’ll join us.

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What's included in essentials?

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workshopmodule

On Demand Workshops

You'll have a huge library of recorded workshops taught by our hand-picked Mentors, who are all brilliant sewists and talented artists. Often just listening to the questions others submit can get you unstuck and moving forward again.  You can watch them as many times as you like, or binge-watch them all for a little extra inspiration.

 

Module 1

Sewing and Tailoring

Take your core sewing skills from "meh" to marvelous by learning how to:

  • Research an idea
  • Put together a coherent design
  • Select suitable fabrics
  • Create or alter a pattern
  • Fit and sew a stunning garment that you won't want to take off

 

Module 2

Clothing by Era

Get specific on how to create the look of a particular time in history... or use history as your sourcebook for fantasy or futuristic looks of your own.

  • Early and Medieval design and construction
  • 16th, 17th, 18th century and Regency, all in detail
  • Breaking down the Victorian era, from crinolines to bustles to Edwardian elegance
  • Vintage and 20th century, including WW1 styles

 

Module 3

Corset Making

Your complete go-to source on historical and modern corset making, unparalleled anywhere:

  • Actual historical patterns from the 1500s to 1910s
  • Guides to well known modern patterns, materials, and design
  • All patterns tested and reviewed for you
  • In depth guides from modern makers on patterning and fitting
  • Historical and modern construction techniques
  • Embellishment ideas for the creative corset artist

 

Module 4

Lingerie and Bras

All the underpinnings, historical and modern, to get the complete look

  • Early period, from shifts to hose
  • Georgian and Regency, from panniers to pantalettes
  • Victorian and Edwardian, from chemise to corset cover
  • Vintage and 20th century unmentionables
  • Modern bra making demystified
Module 5

Business

Thinking of going professional one day (or today)? Find out:

  • When to go pro, and when to quit
  • How to plan out and set up a business of your own
  • What to expect in costume related careers
  • How to deal with clients
  • How to start a ready to wear line
  • How to promote yourself with confidence

 

community

community

Get access to an exclusive private Discord server where you can:

  • Connect with fellow makers
  • Talk about your projects (or anything at all)
  • Find support from other makers who "get" the struggle
  • And even arrange in-person or virtual meetups

 

Testimonial - Ariana

“FR has helped me to become a much better and more accurate costumer.... it has really filled in the blanks, so to speak.”

Ariana Bauer

welcome to

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We like to think that Foundations Revealed is the home of historical and fantastical sewing.

Since 2007, we have been helping aspiring costumers, historybounders, corsetières, and dressmakers around the world to learn all the skills you really need to create the eccentric wardrobe you've always wanted.

Foundations Revealed is an online membership community that teaches you all about historical, fantastical, and couture sewing and tailoring. It's a self-directed resource that you can use in your own time, with group mentoring when you have questions. After becoming a "Stitchling", you'll be able to create whatever fabulous garment, outfit, costume or vision you have in mind.

We help you thrive in an online membership community where you can live your best creative life in a place where you finally belong. Live online workshops, a vast, exclusive library, and mentoring from the world's best and brightest makers ensure that you'll soon be stepping out with confidence in a style that is uniquely your own.

Become your most excellent self

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  • Stop trying to piece these skills together from the free stuff on the Internet
  • Get the in-depth, specific sewing instruction you've been looking for
  • Get the help with YOUR weird and wonderful projects that you're not finding in your local fabric store
  • Find a community of weirdos just like you
  • Become your real self - and dress the part

ABOUT CATHY

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Hi! I'm Cathy Hay. We met briefly above. 

I'm a historical dressmaker on a lifelong journey to help creative makers like us find and express ourselves through our clothing. I'm a former Mathematics teacher, from a family of teachers... and now I want to bring that historic feel to Foundations Revealed, my own online sewing school, founded in 2007.

Growing up in England, I was lucky enough to go to one of those beautiful, quirky historic schools, with old buildings, winding staircases, and a wonderfully eccentric faculty who were passionate about their work and their students. I felt "different"... like I didn't really fit into the outside world... and so I became obsessed with creating a world of my own.

I didn't want to be like other kids... I had my own ideas and my own agenda for my life. I realised that if I wanted to dress as I really wanted to, I had to learn to sew... and the rest is, as they say, history.

 

For many years after I left mainstream teaching, I tried to re-invent the wheel as a professional dressmaker, figuring out historic styles and couture techniques for myself from old books and blogs. But I soon realised that we could all get the wardrobe we want much faster... IF we work together.

So here at Foundations Revealed, I've brought together all my favourite makers to create special trainings and workshops to help you find the confidence you've been searching for - and build the wardrobe you deserve.

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linasquare

"As someone who second guesses all my decisions, having a group that’s so supportive and encouraging made a huge difference for me... just knowing that my fellow Stitchlings will tell me to go for it is enough for me to stop hesitating."

Lina Piprek

Frequently Asked Questions

this is for you if:

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  • You want to take control of your wardrobe
  • You want to explore your creativity and be your authentic self
  • You have a commitment to master the skills you need to get it done.
  • You're a self starter, willing to keep trying until you build the skills you need to succeed.
  • You're SO ready to see results and become your best self

This is not for you if:

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  • You get bored easily
  • You just want to kind of check things out
  • You want someone else to do the hard work for you
  • You really want to do this but you don't have the time to dedicate to it right now
  • You're only doing this because all the cool kids are doing it

Your investment

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Foundations Revealed is a membership that I know can transform your sewing. So, if all of this resonates with you, then I invite you to say "yes". Yes to a drop dead fabulous wardrobe of your own design. Yes to great results with a lot less hairpulling. Yes to authenticity, courage and confidence, getting out of your own way, and letting your best self shine through.

Let this be a new beginning on your historybounding journey. I look forward to being your guide along the way. Click the button below and register now. I’ll see you on the other side.

Essentials

(US) $27 (+ VAT in UK/EU) per month
  • All Access Pass to our legendary online library
  • On Demand recordings of our training and workshops
  • 3 new and exclusive articles or tutorials and 1 new On Demand Workshop every month
  • Membership of our exclusive Discord community
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CH - guarantee

Our guarantee

For over a decade, Foundations Revealed has worked for thousands of makers. We know it will work for you too. That’s why we invite you to test drive Foundations Revealed 100% risk free. If you give it a genuine go and you don’t feel like we delivered on our promise, claim a refund any time in your first month, no questions asked.

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