Sew a Rainbow with Peppermint’s Me-Made May Makes
- Words by Peppermint
It’s the most wonderful time of year – Me-Made May! A time when the internet comes together to celebrate the heights of handmade fashion and consider the work that goes into creating a wardrobe’s worth of wears. In the past, we’ve celebrated by interviewing Me-Made May founder Zoe Edwards and setting challenges for you all, but this year we are diving in ourselves!
With the help of our fabulous friends at Spoonflower, each member of the Peppermint team chose their favourite fabric to make a riotous rainbow of Peppermint Samford Sets. The world’s largest marketplace of independent designs from global artists, Spoonflower has more than one million designs to choose from! So to help us navigate their trove of artistic treasures we assigned ourselves a colour from the trusty ROYGBIV spectrum to build our look from. We’re over the rainbow about the results! Read on to find out the hows, whys and wherefores of everyone’s phenomenal picks.
DOWNLOAD THE SAMFORD SET NOW!
MICHELLE HOLT
NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER
Fabric Choice: Pink Gingham in Cotton Lawn
I chose pink because it’s one of my favourite colours! A quick Google search tells me that pink is sweet and playful, and represents compassion, nurture and love (perhaps I’m just a small child wanting all of these things or to be all of them for my children). I also love gingham fabric – it’s versatile, classic and timeless. My big, beautiful buttons are probably not the most ideal choice if I want to sleep in this comfy-as outfit, but great to highlight that it could (and should!) be worn during the day. I chose Spoonflower Cotton Lawn as I adore lightweight, flowy, soft fabrics.
LAUREN BAXTER
EDITOR
Fabric Choice: Jumbo Shaky Leaf Tendril Blue Fabric in Organic Cotton Sateen
I have a theory: everyone’s favourite colour is blue. Forget your idiosyncratic tendencies and hear me out… Colours are far from neutral. We humans, as seekers of meaning, layer sense and sensibility onto everything. So, of course, our favourite colours will reflect those with positive connotations. A day spent outdoors in the sunshine with family and friends? Blue sky. Diving into a crystal-clear body of water? The big blue. Pulling on a well-loved pair of pants that fit like no other? Blue jeans, baby! Add an abstract botanical motif – I, like Sir David Attenborough, just love a good leaf – and you’re talking my language! Besides… I’m blue da ba dee da ba di.
CAITLIN MORIARTY
COMMUNITY AND PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER
Fabric Choice: Athena In Pickle Fabric in Organic Cotton Sateen
When it comes to wearing colour, I want to go big. Bold. Bright. When I walk down the street, I want 13-year-old girls to whisper to each other, “Did you see that lady’s outfit? Do you think she might be a high school art teacher?” Yes, the eccentric aesthetic is the one for me, and that means I often turn to green. Able to look both completely natural (see: trees, hedges, leaves) and also completely unnatural (see: The Hulk), green is full of surprises and never fails to catch the eye. The graphic swirls of this print in the delightfully spicy ‘Pickle’ ticks all my boxes.
BONNIE LISTON
SEWING CONTENT MANAGER
Fabric Choice: Cher’s Plaid Fabric in Petal Signature Cotton
When I chose yellow, I was so excited by all the print possibilities on offer. I love so many things that are yellow – bees, daffodils, dandelions, sunflowers, the sun! I was ready to face some serious choice anxiety and then on the first page I saw Cher’s Plaid and knew I had to have my Clueless moment. It’s an iconic moment in film fashion history and I love how my outfit pays tribute to Cher while not being an exact replica. In Spoonflower’s Petal Signature Cotton, my Samford Set is endlessly easy to wear and I plan on busting it out whenever I want a boost of Queen Bee energy!
KELLEY SHEENAN
FOUNDER / DESIGNER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Fabric Choice: 3″ Woven Buffalo Check – Black on Rust in Petal Signature Cotton
Black is a colour of the rainbow, right? Right?! Ok, so I may be leaning heavily on the ‘rust’ part of the print to fit the brief, but I really wanted something that fit with my usual ‘Morticia Adams goes to the desert’ colour palette so this Buffalo Check pattern was right up my alley. I also went out on a limb (my legs in this case), and went with a three-quarter length on the pants for a wide-legged culotte look, perfect for sneakers, or socks and slides (this is where Morticia gets left behind in the dust).
MARA VANDENBERG
ACCOUNTS
Fabric Choice: Almond Blossoms Mural ~ Van Gogh ~ Marilyn Fabric in Organic Cotton Sateen
Almond Blossoms is my favourite Van Gogh artwork so I was thrilled to see it in many glorious impressions and colours on the Spoonflower website. Red was my colour for this project, so my decision was easy. Vincent loved painting flowers and I love the influence of Japanese woodwork. The combination is unique, against any colour backdrop.
Pop over to spoonflower.com for more inspiration, then download the pattern and make sure you tag #PeppermintPatterns (and #PeppermintSamfordSet) in your creations!
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
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. …
Hang out with us on Instagram
🌻 The Paddington 🌻
This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
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. 🌿
