Hubba Hubba Ding Ding! Meet the Bowen Dress Patternmaker
- Words by Peppermint
Get ready to float your way through the day with our latest free pattern, the Peppermint Bowen Dress, a bodaciously breezy tent dress! This exclusive, highly wearable pattern was created in collaboration with patternmaker Kim Sisson from Hubba Ding and is brought to you in partnership with our good friends at Spoonflower.
Founded in 2021 by Kim (though she previously made patterns under the handle If Kim Wore Clothes), Hubba Ding is focused on making super simple, beginner-friendly patterns that will take pride of place in your me-made wardrobe.
“‘Hubba hubba ding ding, sister you’ve got everything!’ That’s what my poppa used to say when one of his granddaughters was wearing a super snazzy outfit,” Kim says. “It’s silly, but damn it made us feel good, and that’s how I want you to feel in your new me-made creations!”
In the spirit of going behind the seams and to show the Bowen Dress the love it deserves, we caught up with Kim to learn more about her label and to rack her brain for tips and tricks when creating the pattern.
DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN NOW!
Tell us about your journey into patternmaking…
My mum taught me to sew when I was young and I’ve been sewing ever since. I guess that’s what makes it really special for me – the fact it’s a craft that my beautiful mum taught me. She had the patience of an absolute saint! When I started out, I would make clothes for my Barbie dolls. That’s still some of the hardest sewing I’ve ever done – so darn fiddly! Then I graduated to sewing for myself, friends and family – I even sewed my ball dress one year, it wasn’t the prettiest dress you’ve seen, but I did it – and then I learned how to create patterns and started sharing them online.
What inspires your patterns?
I’m constantly inspired by people I see in the street, Pinterest, Instagram – I’ve got a list as long as my arm of styles I want to try to create. My patterns are just the clothes that I want to wear, so I’m lucky that when I’m adding yet another dress to my already exploding wardrobe, I have a great excuse – it’s for Hubba Ding!
Any tips and tricks for sewists when making the Peppermint Bowen Dress?
It’s so straightforward that I don’t think there are any particular tips or tricks. Just the usual – take your time and have fun with it!
Do you have any fabric choice recommendations?
Buying fabric is always the hardest part – I spend ages deciding what fabric to buy. But if I had one tip, I would say that you can, generally, never go wrong with cotton. Especially for the patterns that I design, cotton is perfect because it holds its shape and it has a beautiful structure, so it’s great for gathering but also drapes nicely. It’s also really easy to sew. I very rarely steer away from cotton and when I do, I end up regretting it! There are exceptions of course, but in general, go for cotton.
Where do you plan on wearing the dress?
Everywhere! It’s such a versatile dress, it can be worn anywhere and everywhere. It’s summer here in New Zealand at the moment, so today I’ll be throwing it over my togs and heading to the beach.
What do you love most about the sewing community?
I can’t tell you how much I love being part of the sewing community. Everyone is so kind and supportive; I can’t believe how many people have chosen to support my little business. It’s so special to me!
I get the biggest buzz from seeing people wearing the clothes that I’ve designed, and equally I love showcasing peoples’ makes on my Instagram and giving them a shout out. There are some seriously talented and inspiring sewists out there – I love seeing what they make.
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.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
Hang out with us on Instagram
On the 14th of April 2013 the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed, tragically killing 1134 workers and injuring over 2,500 more.
Every year we commemorate this devastating and avoidable loss of life and advocate for better working conditions for all during Fashion Revolution Week, which runs from 22nd-28th April in 2026.
This year there are different themes for each day of the week, with the annual Mend In Public day falling right in the middle, on Saturday 25th April.
This is your cue to gather your community, settle in and commit some time, attention and creativity to mending your clothes in the pursuit of extending their life in your wardrobe. Be it patching, embroidery, sewing or stitching, there are many ways to resolve structural and aesthetic issues in your garments that will see you donning them for years to come!
If it’s a bit tricky to get mending on the day itself (it will be ANZAC Day here in Australia) then fear not. Any time is the right time for mending so if you need to take needle in hand on another day that will do just fine!
Comment below if you know of any events you`d like to share happening in your community.
Learn more and get involved:
@FashionRevolutionAustralia
@Fash_Rev
FashionRevolution.org
#FashionRevolution #WhoMadeMyClothes #MendInPublicDay
“This is just a reminder to you to go for your big dreams! They might just work out.” ❤️
And we’re so glad you did, Emma!
From @CinnamonDaisyStudio:
No biggie, I’m just in a really cool magazine 🥹
When @Laura_The_Maker reached out to me last year to ask if I’d be interested in being featured in @PeppermintMagazine I didn’t hold back. I 100% fan girled 🤣 it was obviously a yes!
Getting to talk about the positive impact sewing your own clothes has on your body image is the BEST. I started sewing my own clothes because the standard doesn’t fit me. But I wasn’t expecting to heal my body image at the same time. What a wonderful byproduct ❤️🩹
So this is just a reminder to you to go for your big dreams! They might just work out ❤️
Mother`s Day Chocolate Treats Subscription Special! 🌟
This very sweet subscription offer comes with some glorious goodies, thanks to our friends at @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo!
Our lovely community manager Em, runs us through the offer.
SUBSCRIBE FOR $79 AND RECEIVE:
🌟 1 x 12-month Peppermint Subscription!
PLUS!
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 43% cocoa, Certified-Organic Taming The Jackalope Drinking Chocolate from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 70% cocoa, Certified-Organic Ship To Wreck Chocolate Flakes from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Issue 64 (includes a free code for the #PeppermintDaisyDress digital sewing pattern!)
🌟 A5 art card of our exclusive ‘Together We Rise’ Issue 60 cover design by @LukeJohnMatthewArnold
🌟 All wrapped in fabric from @DoopsDesigns
Price includes postage! This special offer is available to Australian addresses only. Don`t miss out – there`s limited numbers!
🌟 Link in bio!
#PeppermintMagazine #MothersDay
Calling all brands who give a damn! 📣
Bookings for our wonderful Sew&Tell digital issue are now open – if you are an awesome creative brand that fits right in with Peppermint`s ethos of style, sustainability, sewing and substance, get in touch. Or if you know of one who might be keen – tag them below. We have packages for budgets both big and small, but spots are limited, so don`t wait too long to get in touch!
Drop us a line at Mandy@PeppermintMag.Com for a chat with Mandy, our lovely advertising manager – she`ll help you find the best way to share your good work with our awesome audience.
We`d sew love to work with you! ✨️🧵✨️
#PeppermintSewAndTell
💛 BFF GIVEAWAY 💛
Generous, messy, creative, spiky, warm, enigmatic… our best friends come in many flavours. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a far better, more interesting place to be.
Inspired by Sam and Sadie’s complicated ‘forever’ bond in Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by @GabrielleZevin (a firm Peppermint fave ‘friendy’ read), we’ve rounded up some iconic fictional duos from books, movies and TV - the ride-or-dies, bosom buddies, chosen family, the ‘you’re-my-person’ people.
They all remind us that the non-romantic kind of love is always worth the effort (and it’s often the kind that lasts!). Think Anne Shirley and Diana Barry, Calvin and Hobbes, Snoopy and Woodstock, Eloise and Penelope… Head to the link in bio to read the full story and meet them all!
We’ve got two copies of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow to gift to one lucky Peppermint reader and their bestie, thanks to @PenguinBooksAus.
To enter:
✨Follow us and @PenguinBooksAus
✨Tag your best friend in the comments
✨Tell them why they’re so darn great!
Because as Sadie tells Sam: true collaborators in life are rare. And very much worth celebrating.
Winner drawn Tuesday 21 April 2pm. Australian addresses only. Good luck! 📖
#BFF #BookGiveaway #TomorrowAndTomorrowAndTomorrow
Mother`s Day Chocolate Treats Subscription Special! 🌟
It`s almost time to celebrate that special person in your life who has motherly energy – mum, aunty, single parent, queer parent, grandparent, caregiver... or maybe just someone who happens to love getting chocolate treats (and hey, maybe that someone is YOU!).
This very sweet subscription offer comes with some glorious goodies, thanks to our friends at @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo!
SUBSCRIBE FOR $79 AND RECEIVE:
🌟 1 x 12-month Peppermint Subscription
PLUS!
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 43% cocoa, Certified-Organic Taming The Jackalope Drinking Chocolate from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Vegan, gluten-free, 70% cocoa, Certified-Organic Ship To Wreck Chocolate Flakes from @TheOriginalCocoaTradersCo
🌟 Issue 64 (includes a free code for the #PeppermintDaisyDress digital sewing pattern!)
🌟 A5 art card of our exclusive ‘Together We Rise’ Issue 60 cover design by @LukeJohnMatthewArnold
🌟 All wrapped in fabric from @DoopsDesigns
Price includes postage! This special offer is available to Australian addresses only. Don`t miss out – there`s limited numbers!
🌟 Link in bio 🌟
#PeppermintMagazine #MothersDay
