Fans of The Finders Keepers Markets know how to appreciate a good DIY, so our friends at Peppermint have rounded up a few of their top projects to help occupy your time until you can visit your favourite makers again at the markets!
Make your own Tassels
Tassels are an adorable addition to any outfit, accessory, or object left stationery long enough to be adorned. This tutorial teaches you how to upcycle leftover craft materials like thread, wool, and fabric, making it a sustainable way to use up those scraps you’ve been hoarding from projects past. Once you’ve mastered these easy instructions and become a Tassel Tying Aficionado, you’ll be adding these bad boys to everything you can! Learn how to make your own tassels here.
DIY Fabric Planters
Suppose you, like many of us, have succumbed to the insidious allure of pot plants, perhaps starting with the gateways of an innocuous succulent before looking up one day to find yourself surrounded by rubber plants, monstera, pothos and more. In that case, this might be the DIY for you. Make your floricultural friends a fashionable new home with these fabric planters. These guys are washable, reversible, versatile and best of all, easy and fast to sew.
If you are not personally a green fiend, these might make the perfect gift for those loved ones afflicted with a green thumb, or you could just put other things inside of them. We won’t tell. Learn how to make these fabric planters here.
Rainbow Rag Rug
The Rainbow Rag Rug is a great way to give worn-out, well-loved textiles a new life while adding a cosy, colourful pop to your home in one fell swoop. This simple spiral is a beginner-friendly introduction to the art of crochet. It showcases the possibilities of using non-traditional materials, because as we all know, using upcycled fabrics is a great, sustainable way to get your stitch on. To help you make more mindful choices for all your projects, Peppermint also has this handy guide to sourcing preloved fabric, utilising scraps and upcycling that’ll have you reducing your waste in no time. Learn how to make a rag rug here.
Wall Hanging
This gorgeous handmade wall hanging looks complex and expensive but secretly is easy as heck and super affordable. Trick your friends into thinking you’re a craft genius and create a soft yet striking work of art. This piece is also super customisable. You can mix and match the colours and textures that best reflect your funky self and the vibes of your ideal home environment. Learn how to make a wall hanging here.
Peppermint Sewing School: Paddington Top
Of course, the (handmade) crowning glory of Peppermint’s #memade content is their fabulous free sewing patterns. With each quarterly edition, Peppermint works with a range of super-talented pattern makers to create an exclusive, totally original new pattern which they then release, along with instructions, to download for free! You can whip up a peplum top, a pair of wide-leg pants, a button-up dress, or a wrap skirt.
The most recent release is the Paddington Top – the puff sleeve top that packs a punch from South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of French Navy Patterns. The top is simple yet dramatic; the perfect shirt to show off as you wander the aisles and meet the makers at the next FK markets. Find the free sewing pattern here.