Sewing School: The Peppermint Tansey Top Is Here to Win Your Heart
- Words by Peppermint
Like a good friend, a warm bath and a camomile tea, the dreamy Peppermint Tansey Top will always be there for you. Market wanders? Impromptu lunch date? Roadside flower-foraging? She’s got your back (and check out that gorgeous gather at the yoke!).
With her boxy fit and carefree flair, you’ll be reaching for your Tansey the second she’s done on the clothesline. Prepare to make multiples as she’s an easy sew (no buttons or zips!). You’re going to love the simple-but-stylish little details on this soon-to-be-staple slipover, like the wide turned-up cuffs and that sweet dipped hem at the back.
The Tansey is our very first ‘Peppermint Pattern’ and to bring our vision to life, we worked with renowned fashion educator, designer and consultant Thuy Nguyen of Fashion360. Based in Brisbane, Thuy has worked with many major Australian labels and is known for her considered approach to body shapes and immaculate detail.
Call us biased but we think the Tansey would pair nicely with a Peppermint Pocket Skirt (there’s a little length for a French tuck, should you please). Of course, high-waisted jeans would also do the trick.
As for fabrics, she’s an easygoing sort. For warmer weather and draping purposes, something light – like linen, gauze or seersucker – would be perfect. Or, for a more structured look, follow our lead and go with something heavier. We chose Spoonflower’s Cotton Poplin in the most heavenly print, Watercolor Abstract Indigo Sky, by Amber Gibbs – a surface pattern designer based in Portland, Oregon.
We heart our sewing partner Spoonflower for helping to make this pattern possible! From fabric to wallpaper to home decor, Spoonflower is one of the largest marketplaces for designs by independent artists from around the world. They are committed to taking steps to reduce environmental and negative impacts as much as possible, making their products with water-based inks and thoughtfully sourced materials using their innovative, on-demand printing process.
Each order is printed in the USA by their team of manufacturing experts, and when you make a purchase, an independent artist earns up to 15 per cent royalties on their design. Pop over to Spoonflower for inspiration for your next me-made project.
The best bit? The printed pattern comes free with Issue 61! Subscribers also score a code to download a digital version of the pattern – bonus! The digital pattern is also free when you buy a digital copy of Issue 61, or you can purchase the pattern here under our ‘pay-what-you-like’ initiative – how cool is that?!
We can’t wait to see your creations – don’t forget to tag #PeppermintPatterns and #PeppermintTanseyTop to share your makes!
photos KELLEY SHEENAN model ELLA CRAWFORD
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
