Three Of Our Fave Sewists Show Us Why The Tansey Top Is A Styling Staple!
- Words by Peppermint
Lay your eyes on this round-up of terrific Tansey Tops! The ultimate in boxy tops, with beautifully gathered detail on the back, this makes a satisfying sew that you’ll want to turn out again and again. We partnered with our good friends at Spoonflower for Issue 61 to create this outfit essential (and you can still nab yourself a printed copy of the pattern if you buy this issue!).
The feedback was unanimous from the wonderful Alex @MySewBliss, Danette @ForAllLove, and Gowri @ByPaary, who each made a version of this classic style in their choice of Spoonflower fabric. All three were enthusiastic about celebrating the Tansey Top as a quick and easy sew. It’s great for beginners and a great palate cleanser for seasoned sewists.
Pair it with your choice of bottoms – this baby works with everything! Jeans, wide-leg pants, shorts, or a cheeky French tuck in a fitted or maxi skirt—the Peppermint Tansey Top has a place in all our wardrobes.
Danette / @ForAllLove
“When Peppermint Magazine reached out to hear if I’d like to sew up their Peppermint Tansey Top pattern with Spoonflower fabric I jumped on the chance.
I have a few TNT patterns from Peppermint Magazine (looking at you #PeppermintPaddingtonTop and #PeppermintMaxiDress) – and I love their pay-what-you-can model – making great patterns accessible to more people.
The Tansey is a quick and easy sew – I added an extra panel in the back for a more gathered look and also exaggerated the high-lo hem a bit in the back. I can already see this top is going to be a summer staple – in Spoonflower’s Cotton Lawn it’s cool and breezy and a nice basic for any wardrobe. The fabric is Daisy Love Green in Cotton Lawn by @Auderpopz on Spoonflower.”
Gowri / @ByPaary
“Loved this collab with Peppermint Magazine and Spoonflower of the Tansey Top. I chose this print by Holli Zollinger, whose designs I’ve been in love with for a while! The base is a gorgeous cotton silk. It’s beautiful to sew with and presses so well. I used a microtex needle for this fabric.
The Tansey Top is a quick sew. It’s a loose, breezy top with a gathered back bodice and cuffs to finish off the sleeves. It came together in an hour and a half (not including cutting time).”
Alex / @MySewBliss
“It has been so fun to make the Peppermint Tansey Top with this gorgeous fabric from Spoonflower. I love having a bold fabric with a simple pattern and this was the perfect combination. It gave the perfect retro!
The Tansey Top pattern was such an easy and quick make I was able to cut it out and sew it up all in one short afternoon and I’m already planning on making some more tops! I especially love the gathered yoke at the back and the large sleeve cuffs. SO GOOD!
You can get this pattern for FREE when you get a copy of Peppermint [Issue 61] or you can grab it on their website where they have a pay-what-you-can initiative! How cool is that???”
Thanks to our pals at Spoonflower for helping to make this pattern happen!
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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
