Bring Your Own Bedding With These Clever Blanket Upcycles
- Words by Peppermint
Doona days are great but not every day can be a doona day. A blanket, however, is different: thrift yourself a quality wool throw and it can take you places that no doona ever could (the office, for example, if you’re crafty about it). There are many clever folk making fabulous fits from beloved blankets – wool versions tend to last a very long time, so they’re perfect for upcycling.
If you don’t have any old blankets in your cupboards waiting for a makeover, there are often plenty of preloved ones for sale in thrift stores. For top quality, keep an eye out for heritage brands like Onkaparinga and Waverley Mills; if your op-shop has already been raided, there are plenty of vintage sellers on social media, Etsy and eBay (expect to pay between $20 and $100).
Being the good sorts we are, we’ve trawled the internet to find snuggly sewing inspiration for your vintage bounty, plus shoppable makes to keep you nice and toasty for the wintery days ahead.
above RUBY RAISIN
UNDER COVERS
If you like the look of these very smart cocoon coats by Sydney label @Ruby_Raisin_, you’d better get on the email list – fresh drops have a habit of selling out in minutes. Or follow the lead of @BritaSews and @Rhi___Made and get DIYing. (In case you didn’t spot it, Rhi’s velvet-lined make is based on the #PeppermintButtonUpJacket. Click here for the pattern – it’s free!).
HOT PROPERTY
If you can’t get away with wearing your bedding to work, you could always try smuggling one of these blanket-cover cuties under your jacket. We reckon these hot water bottle covers by stitchy stores @My_CreativeFinds and @Mop_And_Dolly are just adorable, but you could also go wild and stitch yourself (or someone small) this lovely whale by Twig + Tale (we can’t promise this one will go unnoticed in the office).
SNUG AS A BUG
Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping child? Nope. But you can wrap a very-much-awake child in a warm-and-fuzzy blanket coat and hope for an impromptu nap. We love these styles by professional stitchers Karyn Kong @Eva.Mei.Vintage.And.Modern, Jane @LilPopet and Carol Knudsen @deer.and.sparrow.
IN STITCHES
Where there are blankets, there ought to be blanket stitch. Bonus points if there are also multiple shades (à la sewist and stylist @InannaSolveig) or infinite layering possibilities (à la this vest by UK maker Elizabeth Cake @A.Circular.Story and this shift dress by Wagga Wagga maker Janine Middlemost @Middlemost).
POCKET PARTY
Polly Pockets, Pizza Pockets, pocket rockets… we’re yet to meet a pocket we don’t love. We’re particularly enamoured with the generous side pockets on the shacket UK sewist @LouisaMiriamSmith crafted from her nan’s wool blanket. She writes: “My grandmother always loved to know I had warm clothing to wear, so I think she would be pleased with this transformation.” In other pocket finds, we have the cosy laptop covers of Bel Dowde @RambleFolkCo and this sweet duffel bag @EllaWidmer_ made with help from sewing teacher @Shaye_Hardisty.
TIME FOR TWEE
A couple of these blanket cushions would do quite nicely in a rambling English manor. For maximum effect, be sure to style with leaf tea and high-brow literature. We heart these makes by (from left): Cindy Choua @WonderWhatYouWere, Gemma Cutts @PaperCuttsDesigns and Wendy Doughty @My_Random_Makes.
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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
