Meet the Patternmaker Behind the Peppermint West End Jacket
- Words by Peppermint
Keep warm and stay cool with the Peppermint West End Jacket – our latest free pattern that traverses seasons as easily as it traverses the false binary of gendered clothing categories! This exclusive, highly wearable pattern was created for us in collaboration with fabulous French patternmaker Camimade Patterns and is brought to you in partnership with our good friends at Spoonflower.
Founded in 2019 by Camille Neuville, Camimade Patterns focuses on helping free people from the cycle of fast fashion and unlocking the creativity and satisfaction that comes from making your own clothes.
“I believe everyone has a sprinkle of creativity in them – if not a handful – that deserves to get out and shine rather than being frustrated by hours of pointless shopping,” Camille says. “I don’t like fashion, especially fast fashion. I believe in personal style and durable clothing. I don’t like shopping, I believe in meaningful hand-making. I don’t like throwing away clothes – or anything else actually! – I believe in re-wearing, re-styling and upcycling.”
In the spirit of going behind the seams, we caught up with Camille to learn more about her label and to rack her brain for tips and tricks when creating the jacket.
DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN NOW!
Tell us about your journey into the sewing world…
When I was a child, my dream was to become a fashion designer. I was drawing clothes and sewing dresses by hand for my dolls. I fell into the sewing world little by little but “officially” became passionate about sewing in 2009 when I joined a student sewing club to design and sew my first ball dress. Since then, I’ve never stopped designing and sewing clothes: special occasion dresses first, and then everyday clothes. Now, I don’t buy clothes. Three years ago, I decided to turn my passion into a full-time job and created Camimade Patterns. I thought that I had so much energy that was being wasted in my previous corporate career and that I could use it for a meaningful project which I could share with others.
What motivated you to stop buying RTW clothing?
I made this decision because I couldn’t stand giving my money to companies responsible for exploiting people on the other side of the world and in return getting poor-quality clothing. Being able to sew my own clothes has given me the freedom to choose. As a result, I haven’t bought a new piece of clothing in three years (except a coat and nursing clothes). I took just one sewing course in my life and I have learned the rest by myself, so anyone can make that choice too.
What inspires your patterns?
Trends do not really move me and I much prefer basic clothes that last in my wardrobe. I am inspired by basic shapes and I make them unique by playing with the details – seam placements, finishes – which are inspired by nature or clothes I’ve seen somewhere: from my favourite designers, on Pinterest, in the streets, during my trips.
What do you love most about the sewing community?
When you put a pattern out there, it’s not yours anymore and I love to see how sewists around the world use the same patterns differently. But really what I love the most about the sewing community is its kindness and ability to make the sewing world evolve and change for the better.
We just adore the Peppermint West End Jacket! Any tips and tricks for sewists when creating it?
Thank you, I love it too! My main tip is to not be impressed by the flat-felled seams and take your time, they are just seams. Making a few tests using fabric scraps is always a good idea.
How did you approach gender-neutral design in regard to the West End Jacket?
Most gender-neutral clothes are from the men’s department and I just don’t see how this is neutral. So with the West End Jacket, I thought we shouldn’t only take references from men’s wardrobes. My approach was to bring a bit of femininity with the rounded collar, to balance the classic men’s worker jacket look and get to a more neutral point. But you could argue that the rounded collar is actually a men’s wardrobe reference: the men’s “club collar shirt”, worn by the Peaky Blinders in the famous TV series, has a rounded collar!
As for the fit, body shapes don’t have neutrality. So I decided to draft the pattern using a B-cup bust across the whole size range, which will be fine for most women with small busts and men. Women with a bigger bust may have to do a full bust adjustment though. My hope is that the West End Jacket will be a nice one to sew and wear whatever gender you identify with.
What fabric do you recommend?
For a basic wardrobe staple that you will wear year after year, blue denim is a good choice. You could also choose a corduroy for a mid-season jacket that will never go out of fashion.
Every quarter we work with a talented patternmaker to create a new design for our me-made mates. Head to the link here for a plethora of pretty patterns – all free for you to download and make to your heart’s content – along with plenty of sewing tips and tricks.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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🌻 The Paddington 🌻
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How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Fabric: @Spoonflower
Model: MelaninGoddessEfon
“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
*Not a real number in case that wasn`t clear 😂
#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
