We are Pattern Poole, a mother-daughter design duo from Sydney, Australia — Monica and Alaura Poole. As third- and fourth-generation sewists, we are passionate about sharing our quilting journey with the world.
Quilting is a multifaceted art form that incorporates colour theory, geometry, mathematics, textiles, graphic design, and textile design. It is deeply rooted in history as a therapeutic and community-building activity for women around the globe. Lifelong bonds are formed in quilting circles, and our mission at Pattern Poole is to invite everyone to join our loving and inclusive community to experience the many benefits of quilting.
We encourage you to discover our quilt-as-you-go process through our engaging YouTube tutorials, comprehensive online courses, beautifully crafted PDF patterns, and our international Facebook group, which has over 15,000 members worldwide.
Why Quilt-as-you-go?
Quilting is fundamentally about being resourceful, whether it involves using scraps or repurposing old bed sheets. Quilters always find a way to make things work. Monica began her quilting journey as a young mother who was newly married, and she quickly realised that she couldn't afford to send her quilts out for completion. Instead, she started applying her fashion skills to join sections and conceal seams. Before long, she developed several methods that allowed her to create quilts from start to finish on her own.
Monica never anticipated how this journey would transform her life and assist many others with their quilting. Quilt-as-you-go is inclusive and ideal for those on a budget, individuals who prefer to use recycled textiles and scraps, or anyone facing health issues or a disability. This method makes it easier to complete an entire quilt from beginning to end!
Get started with Pattern Poole today and see what we have on offer!
Our Story
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Our quilting heritage is rich and deeply woven into our family history. Monica was inspired by her mother, Jeanie, who learned to sew at a young age under the guidance of her own mother. Jeanie's legacy includes her time at David Jones, where she crafted bespoke garments for discerning clients. This foundation instilled a love of sewing in Monica, encouraging her to explore a career in fashion.
When Monica's daughter, Alaura, was born, she transitioned into the quilting industry, dedicating nearly a decade to refining her quilt-as-you-go techniques. In 2001, the owners of the quilting shop retired. During her nine years working there, Monica built a strong community through her quilting classes and patterns. This group of women encouraged her to start a home sewing studio. Many of them were also retired and shared their extensive business knowledge to help her create a thriving venture, allowing Monica to teach sewing classes from home while raising her children, Alaura and Ben. With the support of her husband, they renovated a small house and set up a sewing class studio at the back.
The empowering nature of Monica's original community helped her business flourish; her classes were fully booked five days a week. Monica then began creating her own printed quilt-as-you-go, handbag and clothing patterns under the label 'MoonShine,' a childhood nickname. Before long, Monica was participating in craft fairs across Australia and her projects were appearing on magazine covers as well as popular Australian talk shows. Monica also wrote her first book on quilt-as-you-go, which sold over 10,000 copies Australia-wide. Monica quickly became known as a prominent quilting educator, recognised for her cool and calm demeanour that helped women master quilt-as-you-go techniques in no time.
Alaura grew up in a community of quilters, which nurtured her love for sewing from a young age. Along with her brother and school friends, she would spend her afternoons packing patterns for wholesale orders destined for quilt shops around the world.
After graduating high school, Alaura was inspired by Monica’s empowering and creative business and decided to pursue a degree in the arts. However, under her father’s guidance, she opted for a double degree in Business Administration and Arts. During her studies, she worked as an assistant manager at a quilting store chain, becoming the youngest person to run a store in the history of the business. Her business education provided her with valuable skills in creative direction, business communication, graphic design, and website development.
In 2017, upon graduating from university, Alaura became a partner in Monica’s business, which was rebranded from Monica Poole Designs to Pattern Poole. Over the years, Monica and Alaura participated in the craft show circuit, attending multiple shows each year to sell Monica’s quilt-as-you-go patterns, handbag, and clothing patterns.
That same year, Alaura began designing animal appliqués, leading to the development of her signature style of mosaic appliqués. These patterns became popular at craft shows because each one reflected a unique expression inspired by people in Alaura’s life. This marked the beginning of her journey as a textile artist. Throughout this period, she refined her skills as a graphic artist, creating digitally drawn appliqué patterns characterised by thick lines and printable applique shapes. Today, Alaura has designed over 50 appliqué patterns that are sold worldwide.
2020 left Pattern Poole at a standstill. The business existed solely in the physical space with craft fairs, workshops, retreats, and printed patterns. The lockdown left Monica and Alaura with no way to earn income.
However, Alaura had been working on the website for some time, and they decided to launch their first online course, which was a quilt-as-you-go mystery quilt, Twilight Dreaming. Shops were invited to sell the course wholesale to ensure they could make an income from it and from providing kits to send to customers.
Alaura designed the Twilight Dreaming quilt in an evening, inspired by her dog sleeping in the backyard and wondering what he was dreaming about. From that sketch, Monica wrote a requirements list, which was sent out to participating shops. Within a week, armed with a sketch of a quilt, a requirements list and over 500 participants, they began their online course. The course ran for 14 weeks, where students would make a new applique block and learn a quilting technique each week. On Mondays, Alaura would create the pattern sheets for a block on the fly, and Monica would write the lesson. Then, they would spend the rest of the week sewing and filming their lesson, ready to upload to their Facebook group on Friday.
However, there was one problem: at the commencement of the course, Alaura did not know how to make and edit videos. After playing around with the Microsoft movie software on her laptop, Alaura picked up basic video editing. Over the next 14 weeks, Monica and Alaura created the Twilight Dreaming quilt with their students, forming a strong and supportive community that is still the core of the Pattern Poole sewing community today.
When the course was finished, there were still lockdowns in Australia. So, Monica and Alaura began an online applique club and the beginner's sampler course. They also started editing their sewing patterns to sell as downloadable PDFs on their website.
However, this wasn't enough to sustain an income. The International Quilt Fair in Texas was hosting an online craft show, and as a last effort to make some money to support themselves, they joined as digital vendors. Vendors could make videos for their digital shop, and Monica and Alaura decided to do a video on quilt-as-you-go and upload it to YouTube so it could also be easily displayed on their website. The show came and went, and they made hardly any sales.
While lying in bed one night, Alaura was pondering how she could pivot the business. She got a phone call from Monica, who excitedly informed her that their video on quilt-as-you-go was going viral on YouTube. The next morning, they woke up with 5,000 subscribers, and that day, Alaura went to work to make more videos for YouTube.
Over the next week, Monica's husband renovated their studio to become a filming space, and Alaura started analysing and learning how to make quality videos. Their next videos began going viral, and in 2021, they launched their quilt-as-you-go Master Class 'Island Home'. This time, Alaura uploaded the course videos for anyone to watch for free on YouTube, and anyone who wanted to make the quilt could purchase the course notes. This was a risky decision, as not having their work behind a paywall meant they could stand to earn no money. However, Alaura and Monica believed that the power of not gatekeeping could inspire and help more people fall in love with the art of quilt-as-you-go.
Today, Pattern Poole boasts over 100 free YouTube tutorials and nearly 90,000 subscribers, and we are just getting started. Our mission is clear: to connect with a global audience and share our unwavering love for sewing and creativity. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey, inspiring others to cultivate their own creativity and discover the joy of quilting!
Please feel free to join our exclusive Facebook community, which is an inclusive and supportive space for 15,000 people worldwide. The group is a valuable resource for inspiration, tips and tricks from our members, with whom contain a majority of the core women who have been sewing with us from the very beginning. Our group is exclusive as it is tirelessly monitored by our amazing admins, Marcia Moon and Jacki Kennedy, who volunteer their time to ensure our group remains free of scammers.
2025 is going to be a big year for Pattern Poole; we hope to make many more YouTube tutorials and have a current online course called Time to Bloom that you can still join up for. In July, we hope to launch the world's first quilt-as-you-go digital magazine packed with lots of projects and inspiration (more value for less money). Follow our social media to stay up to date on our journey!