Hi, I'm Kate McAuley, the owner of Pattern Emporium. 

I want everyone to experience the transition from ‘homemade’ to “Wow! Where did you get that!?”

KATE MCAULEY

KATE MCAULEY

Hi, I’m Kate McAuley. I’m the founder and designer behind Pattern Emporium Modern Sewing Patterns.

I’ve been sewing since I was a little girl, sketching and stitching my own designs inspired by my mum’s fashion magazines. After studying fashion at RMIT in Melbourne and working in the industry since 1989 (yes, I’ve had my Devil Wears Prada moments), I eventually realised that what I loved most was creating patterns that other women could bring to life in their own way.

In 2013, with a big leap of faith and plenty of encouragement from my husband & kids, Pattern Emporium was born. What started as a creative dream has grown into a vibrant community of sewists around the world. It still gives me that jump-out-of-bed-in-the-morning excitement - watching our patterns turn into real wardrobes, stitched with joy and personality.

I love the architecture of patternmaking - the way each piece comes together like a perfectly fitting puzzle. And I love that creativity is a two-way street: I share my designs, and in return, I’m inspired daily by the incredible makes from our community.

Something I always tell my kids: find what you’re passionate about, dive right in, and let it become the work you love. That’s exactly what I’ve done here.

Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.

Kate x

MELANIE HALL

MELANIE HALL

Melanie has the same passion for clothing, sewing & fashion as I do. She has an amazing knack for helping others find the right size & fit for their sews... and that's no easy feat when it's all digital.

Mel manages our Facebook Group. But I also bounce all of my ideas off her. We have very similar (okay it's like we're twins) style aesthetics & sit at either end of our size range, so for a design to go ahead, we both have to love it, look great it in & want to wear it obsessively. You'll find Mel on lots of our pattern covers

OUR TESTING TEAM

OUR TESTING TEAM

I have the most creative, amazing, generous & thorough testing team from all over the world. Whether we are testing ladies or kids designs, we not only test every size, we also make sure we include testers who cross over sizes (multi size) so that we can advise on tweaking fit for those of us who don't fit the standard measurements chart.

My fantastic testers also test every step of the sewing process outlined in each tutorial, so that we can make it as straight forward as possible for you to sew. We all love sewing so much, we want the same for you.

LEARNING STYLES:

Pattern Emporium patterns are designed to cater to as many learning styles as possible. I'm not a traditionalist by any means.
My aim with Pattern Emporium sewing patterns, is to enable you to sew fashionable pieces, quickly & easily, to create or compliment your wardrobe.

There are loads of photos, taking you step by step through each element of putting together a successful garment.

Sentences are short & to the point.

I have broken elements down into simple steps so that you can even learn to love adding a zip. Yep, you heard that right. 

There are also lots of tips, as you sew, to enable you to achieve a professional looking garment.

OUR VIDEOS

For each new pattern release I shoot a little video outlining all the option available in that pattern in styles I've sewn up. You will find them on our YouTube Channel here.
Youtube Channel