Winter Issue 61
Our first Peppermint Pattern is here! Meet the Tansey Top • Embroidery joy from our cover artist Fleur Woods • The curious power of the compliment • Plastic-free beauty round-up • Colourful threads from Ellie Whittaker • Speaking out on mental health • Bangarra Dance Theatre • Building better communities • A fun thrift flip • 'Behind the seams' with Nancybird • Accessible art with Studio A • Visible mending • Using textile waste to forge connections
Buy nowA print magazine about style, sustainability and substance
The Finders Keepers Markets are Coming to Sydney! And We’ve Already Picked our Wish Lists…
All the good things are coming to Carriageworks! Why, you ask? Because The Finders Keepers market is returning to Sydney...
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Embrace Secondhand (And Score a Gem) at the Garage Sale Trail!
The Garage Sale Trail is just around the corner, and we’re pretty excited to hit the streets! For the weekends...
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Trash Talk – What’s Stopping You From Composting?
Is it a lack of space? The smell? Mess? Can’t get enough of store-bought fertiliser? The humble backyard pile might...
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Meet Rachel Burke, From Musical Theatre Dropout to Tinsel Queen
Known for her vibrant, tactile designs and iconic tinsel creations, Rachel Burke’s work is inspired...
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Attending a Wedding? These 16 Sewing Patterns Are Guaranteed to Impress
Here at Peppermint we’re not afraid to come out with our bold pro-love stance. We’d go so far as to say we love love...
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Curves Ahead! A Great Big List of Lovely Size-Inclusive Australian Labels
Drab dresses designed to “hide sins”? Yawn. Give us the big bows and neon swirls of a made-to-order Dowk dress,...
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Yotam Ottolenghi Takes On an Australian Barbecue Classic (and We Have the Recipe!)
Big news! The master of plant-based recipes and all things eggplant – Yotam Ottolenghi – has launched a cookbook dedicated...
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Dress-Ups and Deep Conversations at Newcastle’s Hide and Seeker Vintage
Nestled in Newcastle’s creative hub of Islington, Hide and Seeker Vintage is a collaboration between a clever husband-and-wife duo –...
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Nice Rack! In the Swim with First Nations Designer Liandra Gaykamangu
At the risk of stating the obvious, the clothes we wear matter. And not just in the sense of sartorial...
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Hear That? It’s the Sound of Cricuts (The Crafty Machine That’s Taken Over Instagram)
It’s the stickering, stencilling, decal-making wonder you didn’t know you needed – and suddenly it’s all over socials. But what...
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11 of the Best Ethical and Sustainable Sneaker Brands (That You’ll Never Want to Take Off)
Treading lightly through life is easier said than done when you’re a responsible, conscious consumer. In fact, finding casual sneakers...
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“The Knowledge Felt Revolutionary”: Kay Kerr on Love and Autism
“Why are eye contact and ‘I love you’ considered the markers of love in Western culture?” It’s a question posed by autistic author...
Read moreStick to your guns about the things that really matter. You should never compromise on the right thing to do just because it's easier.
BRIANNE WEST, ISSUE 61
hang out with us on instagram
It’s almost here! 🎉
The @GarageSaleTrail is just around the corner, and so we ask three avid op-shoppers: what’s on your garage sale hit list?
Hannah @NeverEverPayRetail Natalie @NattyStylist and Daisy @_DIYDaisy share what they’ll be hunting for over the next couple of weekends.
Tell us - what are you on the lookout for?
Hit the streets, or host your own sale!
@GarageSaleTrail November 9-10 and 16-17
#PeppermintMagazine #GarageSaleTrail #SecondHand #Sustainability #Reuse #Preloved #Vintage #VintageStyle #Homewares #SecondHandFashion #Community
PEPTALKS! 🥳
We`re very excited to have award-winning disability rights and diversity advocate, speaker, model, and health care professional Sara Shams aka @NoLegs_NoWorries joining us at Peptalks!
Sara is a bilateral above-knee amputee, disability advocate, speaker, model, and health care professional. The lack of visible representation of people with disabilities in the nineties impacted how Sara perceived herself and identified with her disability.
Sara believes that embracing our differences and recognising what makes us unique is our superpower. She is passionate about establishing equal opportunities, increasing representation of people with disabilities particularly from diverse backgrounds, and creating authentically inclusive environments where all persons can thrive.
We`re over the moon to be hearing from Sara, and so many other great voices too. Get your tickets now - through the link in bio!
#PeppermintEvents #EveningswithMeaning #BrisbaneEvents #PepTalks #PepTalksBrisbane #PeppermintPeptalks
A serious staple! 🫶🏻
Three versions of the much-loved Peppermint Everyday Dress, made in collab with @InTheFolds, via Mardzerin of @_Marueli_ 👏🏻
Grab this pay-what-you-can pattern via the link in bio!
#PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintEverydayDress #SewersOfInstagram #MeMade #Sewcialists #SlowFashion #SewingLove #MakeItYourself
PEPTALKS 🥳
We are SO excited to have the amazing Jes from Dangerous Females joining us - have you got your ticket yet? Grab one from the link in our bio!
Reposted from @Jes.Hallagan:
"How it feels writing my first ever speech or “Pep Talk” if you will for @PeppermintMagazine
Turns out the speaker process is very similar to the creative process... (loving step 1 sick, just BTW)
Step 1. THIS IS AWESOME
This is my first ever speaking event where I’m on stage by myself, no emotional support best friend, no emotional support drag queen, just me and room full of people of people who genuinely think I’m gonna knock their socks off talking about my experience as the co-founder and Managing Director of @DangerousFemales
If you’ve been to a @DangerousFemales event you know it’s not my favourite and the imposter syndrome kicks in real quick as soon as I’m handed a mic.. but right now I’m on cloud nine… literally the funniest person alive- not like a regular Managing Director, I’m a cool Managing Director 😎
Tickets are online now, and $5 from every ticket is being donated to @DangerousFemales, which is a really generous initiative from @PeppermintMagazine to Do Something, Don’t Do Nothing.
Grab a ticket, wear a tee, come and support me!
Link to tickets and more info in bio.
Image description: 3 photos of @Jes.Hallagan looking badass wearing the @DangerousFemales x Australian Artist Collective tee design (100% profits donated) and the final photo is about the creative process.. the text reads “CREATIVE PROCESS
I. THIS IS AWESOME
2. THIS IS TRICKY
3. THIS IS SHIT
4. I AM SHIT
5. THIS MIGHT BE OK
6. THIS IS AWESOME”
📸 @LoveStepha
🎨 @KateQuinnArt & the Australian Art Collective
The @GarageSaleTrail is just around the corner, and we’re pretty excited to hit the streets! For the weekends of November 9-10 and 16-17, folks around the country will be pulling out their poster paints, setting up trestle tables and sorting through boxes of unused ‘stuff’. And if history is any indication of success, you’re likely to find some real treasures on the trail. 💖
To help you get into the secondhand shopping (and selling) spirit, we chatted with Barbara (Babs) Gill – the trail’s General Manager and Director - who shares her tips for hosting a good garage sale and some of the weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful things she’s found along the way.
Head to our website to read more (link in our bio)!
#PeppermintMagazine#GarageSaleTrail #SecondHand #Sustainability #Reuse #Preloved #Vintage #VintageStyle #Homewares #SecondHandFashion #Community
WOW.
Congrats to the team at @ClothingTheGaps for this incredible dress at Melbourne Fashion Week. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
From @ClothingTheGaps:
The Our Islands, Our Home @ourislandsourhome Dress made by Natisha Tabua @nateesha_ and hand-painted by Lucas Schober @musu_arts with an incredible 12-metre crocodile in tribute to his grandmother, Nora, this dress draws attention to the climate crisis affecting the Torres Strait Islands. With the words ‘our oceans are rising and so are we’ painted on the train - it’s a call to action for all people to take action. You can help by signing the petition - link in bio.
Worn on runway by @senemaluwapi
Wearing @brosiscus jewellery 💛
On Sunday night we had three incredible campaign dresses featured in the closing showcase for Melbourne Fashion Week @melbfashionweek
Each of these dresses are more than fabric and design - they’re a call to action, a recognition of history, and a commitment to our future.
#WearYourValues #MelbourneFashionWeek #ClothingTheGaps #FashionWithPurpose #AboriginalSocialEnterprise
Some non-physical compliments to share this week!
Slides from @ellamaebeing 💕
#YouAreMoreThanYourLooks
We’re suckers for scallops 😍
These fabulous pants - and their fabulous hems! - from @Never_Ending_Couture_Tricot need a round of applause. 👏🏻
👚#FibreMoodBelle @FibreMood
Fabric @MaisonBobineFabrics
👖#PeppermintLoungewear with the festive hem @PeppermintMagazine @Common_Stitch
Viscose @LesCouponsDeSaintPierre
Get the pay-what-you-can pattern from the link in our bio!
#PeppermintMagazine #FibreMood #MeMade #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPatterns
The sun is coming in our part of the world, which means it’s time to reach for the Peppermint Bronte Bathers, created in collab with @SwimStylePatterns! 🌞
And how fun is this set from @MadeByKaty:
“A moment for the cutest cossie. 👙
Accidentally mismatched because I ran out of orange gingham fabric but I actually love how they go together. 🩵🧡🩷🤍
(Also, currently working on my next version of this pattern 😍 I love it!)”
#PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintBronteBathers #ISewMyOwnClothes #SewingSwimwear #SummerSewing #MeMade
“You’re creating your own rules, there’s no line to follow.”
Oh how we love this from Harriet Riddell of @institchyou:
“Dancing with my sewing machine in the heart of the woods, celebrating the magic of creating art off the grid.
A snapshot of my creative process.
Watch as I draw inspiration from nature and bring it to life, one stitch at a time. 🌿🧵
A huge thank you to:
@emmataylorfilms for making this wonderful film ❤️
@minervadotcom for your glorious fabrics
@spinneyhollow for building my beautiful wagon
@berninaschweiz I love my vintage machine
@whaleys_bradford you sell the BEST canvas
@100stars_official for my favourite top!
#OffGridArt #SewingInNature #CreativeMagic #WoodlandStitchCraft #berninausa #stitchart #performanceStitching #oakandash #englishwoods #wagonlife
Words and video by @InstitchYou 💕
Beautiful concept from Laney Boyd (who describes herself as an “old Victorian lady in a millennial`s body” 😁 ).
From Laney at @Thistles.And.Thread:
"welcome to my needle cemetery 🪡🪦
when i first started embroidery four years ago, i had no idea what to do with my needles when they broke, bent, or wore out. at first i wrapped them up in bits of scrap fabric and threw them away, but for whatever reason tossing them just didn’t feel right to me. i started saving them in a little box, hopeful that at some point i would figure out something more meaningful to do with them.
then i came across an article about an annual japanese festival called hari-kuyō, or the festival of broken needles. seamstresses save up all the pins and needles that break in service of their sewing throughout the year, and on the festival day they gather at shrines and temples to thank their tools and “lay them to rest” in soft blocks of tofu. i love the intention behind this tradition, so i decided to create my own version.
what i settled on is what you see here: a 12” (30.5cm) hoop on which to stitch all my broken, bent, and worn down needles. the number 7 is significant throughout numerous cultures/belief systems/faith traditions and often symbolizes fulfillment or completion, so each needle is stitched down with 7 cross stitches using bits of scrap thread from the projects they helped me create. their work is done, and in thanks for their service, i turn the art tools into the art itself.
am i thinking too much into this? probably. but i’ve been anthropomorphizing inanimate objects since before i knew what those words meant, so i’ll happily keep thanking my tired needles and stitching them down to rest for as long as i can hold one." 🪡💚
Images and words @Thistles.And.Thread
#SewersOfInstagram #MeMade #Sewcialists #SewingLove #MakeItYourself #Embroidery #Stitched #HandCrafted #HandStitched
October is Mental Health Month, a campaign that raises awareness about mental health, reduces stigma, and encourages people to prioritise their mental health as much as their physical health. It is important to know that seeking help for mental health issues is a sign of strength, not weakness.
You are not alone. 💛
Art (and good advice) from @Burger_Babie
#BreakTheStigma #MentalHealthMonth #YouAreNotAlone
