Dress Up the Peppermint Albion Blouse With This Brilliant Hack
- Words by Peppermint
How do we love the Albion Blouse? Let us count the ways… She’s classy, she’s comfy, she’s cute. She comes with her own special variations – a short-sleeved version for skipping your way through various sunny scenarios and the voluminous full-sleeve version for when you want to unleash the drama, mama.
And she offers even more possibilities as a pattern because where there is a sweet blouse pattern, there is, very often, a cool dress hack!
In fact, you could make multiple Albion Dresses using a veritable variety of skirt styles from circle skirts, curve front with ruffle, or multiple tiers. For the sake of simplicity, here we’ll show you how to make a simple gathered skirt wrap dress using the Albion Blouse pattern. We whipped our version up using an old doona cover from the op-shop – sustainable, affordable and cute – plus it came with its own matching buttons!
DOWNLOAD THE PATTERN NOW!
What you will need
The Peppermint Albion Blouse pattern, instructions and all the accoutrements listed within
Plus…
Measuring tape
A calculator
Fabric
Let’s get dressy!
STEP ONE // Download and print out your Peppermint Albion Blouse pattern. Follow the instructions as written until you get to step 4. When sewing your facing to the body of the blouse (4.1), DO NOT sew down the little bottom bit of facing at the hem. Skip steps 4.4–4.8 entirely leaving the waist hem unfinished, for now.
STEP TWO // Continue finishing the blouse up to the point of adding buttons and snaps– you’ll want to leave that until last to see if the weight of the skirt adjusts the fit.
STEP THREE // Draft your skirt pieces. Measure the width of the back bodice and front bodices (including seam allowance). Multiply these measurements by 1.5 to get the width of your skirt pieces – a standard rule of thumb for gathering ratios but if you want a more voluminous skirt, you could try multiplying your measurements by 2 instead.
Decide how long you want your skirt to be. Remember to factor in a seam allowance of 1cm at the top and a hemming allowance at the bottom.
STEP FOUR // Cut out two front skirt pieces (front bodice x 1.5 wide and chosen length long) and one back skirt piece (back bodice x 1.5 wide and chosen length long).
STEP FIVE// Overlock or otherwise finish both side seams of the back skirt piece and the side seams that will attach to the back seams on the front skirt pieces. On the side seams that will align with the front edges of the bodice so finish with a double fold hem instead.
(At this point, if you wish, you can add in pockets! We used the Peppermint Bowen Dress pattern’s pocket piece and attached them 10cm from the top of the skirt pieces).
STEP SIX // Sew side seams together and put in two rows of gathering stitches 0.5 and 1cm away from the top of your skirt. A gathering stitch is a straight stitch with the stitch length set between 3 and 4 on your machine.
STEP SEVEN // Gather down until the edges and side seams of the skirt match the bodice.
STEP EIGHT // Because the Peppermint Albion Blouse finishes below your natural waist you may want to try it on at this point and mark where your waist is (as that is the most flattering place for the skirt to sit). With right sides facing, pin the bodice and skirts together, matching side seams and edges, and sew together.
STEP NINE // Finish the waist seam with an overlocker or encase in bias binding and press towards the bodice. Fold the bottom of your front facings over to encase the waist seam and slip stitch in place.
STEP TEN // Attach buttons and snaps as described in the original instructions.
STEP ELEVEN // Hem the bottom of your skirt as you desire – we used a classic double-fold hem.
STEP TWELVE // You are finished! Venture out into the world and endeavour to accept the many, many compliments you receive with humility and grace.
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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! 🤩
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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
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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. 🌿
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Link in bio! 🪡🎨✂️
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