Earth Day 2015
- Words by Peppermint
As we celebrate Earth Day 2015, today’s events also mark 45 years of united environmental action across our global community. So far, 2015 has been an interesting year for planet-friendly legislation, with a number of new laws and regulations introduced by governments worldwide.
France‘s latest green construction code has been making headlines of late after it was announced that all new buildings in commercial zones must be topped with either a living green roof or solar panels. In Haryana, India, a similar law makes installing solar power mandatory for buildings over a certain size. For new environmental policy, all eyes have been on China, where a suite of laws designed to curb pollution came into effect on January 1st. This month, a new mobile app was released to help Chinese citizens monitor air pollution from factories in their local area, using people power to enforce the new codes. Plastic waste has been in the spotlight this year, too. In April, Oxford became the first city in the UK to ban non-recyclable food containers, with New York City planning to lead the charge in the US with a similar bill later this year. The nearby state of Massachusetts is pioneering the fight against food waste by making it illegal for big producers to bin their leftovers, and half a world away, the residents of Yap, a tiny island in Micronesia, are among the latest to put a moratorium on plastic bags, weaving them into reusable shopping bags instead.
While there are dozens more new laws out there and hopefully many more to come, civil groups and the small actions individuals can take everyday are just as important in our fight for the planet. Visit the Earth Day website for tips on reducing your impact.
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NEW PATTERN ALERT 🎉
She’s giving comfort, she’s giving style, she’s giving palate-cleansing sewing. There’s nothing quite like an easy breezy dress that’s not only a dream to wear but a delight to sew, and the NEW Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress delivers!
Cute, classic and cool with a touch of retro: the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. Bust darts are in play for shaping and spacious pockets to hold all your treasures. Top-stitching detail around the neck and armholes invites creative contrast threads and the keyhole loop closure at the back neck begs for a feature button (or a tie closure!).
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 @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection. Karmme also stocks darling tassels so we popped a hot pink one on as a closure!
The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside complementary fabrics steeped in tradition with modern iterations from Jaipur, India. Hand block-printed and digitally printed soft cottons produced by Indian artisans showcase rich colours and designs from Imby’s travels, perfect for showing off me-made masterpieces.
Our dresses were superbly stitched by our sewing manager @Laura_The_Maker, and modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews. And that perfect pink wall was courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Patternmaker: @GarmentaApparel
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
Connection 🫶🏻
Such great ideas from @GrowWithColby:
“A common theme I noticed in 2025:
Everyone is craving more connection.
Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.
Send this to the people you want to do these with.”
#Connection #Friends #Community
No bull - these pants are the cat`s (or cow`s) pyjamas...
Jenny from @RhubarbSundays:
And they are done! My @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintFernPleatedPants made using a gorgeous fabric from @IndyBindyFabrics! I absolutely love this fabric! It’s soft and drapes beautifully. And the best thing about it is that, from a distance, it looks like an abstract print and then you look closer and theres a curious bull looking right at you. 🤣🤣 🐄 🐮
Really happy with the end product. They are very comfy! I didn’t make many changes to the pattern. Just a touch more room in the rise and a little bit off the waist. I’ll post some closeups of the details tomorrow when I actually take them off. 🤣 "
Grab the pattern from the link in bio!
#PeppermintPatterns #IMakeMyOwnClothes #ClothesThatFeelLikePyjamas #SewersGonnaSew
Missed issue 64 at the newsagent?
Grab a digital copy from our website and read it whenever you like. 📱💻️
Link in bio! 💜
#PeppermintMagazine #YouBelongHere
🌤 Festival forecast: high creativity, with a strong chance of radical hope on the horizon.
If you’ve been craving a little colour in your calendar, consider this your sign. This May, the Sunshine Coast’s much-loved Horizon Festival is celebrating ten years of art, imagination and joyful gathering, returning from 1–10 May on Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country.
For ten glorious days, beaches, streets, galleries and unexpected corners of the coast become places to wander, wonder and play. There’s music drifting on the sea breeze, performances that make you feel things, art you can step inside, and plenty of moments where you’re invited to join in rather than just watch. With 35+ events across the region (many of them free), expect live music, First Nations gatherings, immersive dance, family-friendly fun, writers’ talks, artist markets and more. At its heart, @HorizonArtFest is a celebration of people, place and shared imagination, honouring the first artists and storytellers, while making space for new voices and bold ideas.
Then there’s ‘Radical Hope Machine 2’: an immersive exhibition at Caloundra’s new Library+ that will fuse textiles, technology and storytelling. Featuring textile artist @Shaye_Hardisty, award-winning author Peter Carnavas and artist Sarah Winter, this series of events explores what hope looks, feels and sounds like to the Sunshine Coast community in response to the question: ‘how to solve the world’s wicked problems?’ We spoke with Shaye about tech vs textiles, magical garments and tiny joys.
Read more at the link in bio!
Photos: @HorizonArtFest
#HorizonFestival SunshineCoastEvents
Style, sass and simplicity: Miss Myrtle is almost here! 💕
Lay your peepers on the new Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress – this sensational sewing pattern is going to be winging its way to subscribers inboxes this Sunday 1st March at 11am, so if you`re not a subscriber already, you know what to do!
We created this pattern with the support of @Karmme_Apparel – and how gorgeous are those fabrics! The love child of Imby Langenbach, Karmme Apparel (fittingly pronounced ‘calm’), is a haven of boho apparel sewing patterns alongside fabrics steeped in traditions with modern iterations from Jaipur, India.
Modelled magnificently by Shannon @Pins_And_Tonic and Serah @SerahSews, the Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with sleek lines and elegant curves. You won’t be able to stop at just one!
Subscribers – keep an eye on your inbox on Sunday for your exclusive download code. Everyone else - subscribe now before Sunday so you don`t miss out!
Launch date: 5th March 💕
Link in bio 💕
Pink wall courtesy of the good folk at @ShareTheDignityAustralia, an organisation that aims to bring dignity to women, girls and those who menstruate who are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence and period poverty. 💕
Sewing and instructions: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress
