August Phoenix Mercantile
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themercantile.bsky.social
August Phoenix Mercantile
@themercantile.bsky.social
160 followers 150 following 180 posts
Textile artist working in recycled textiles to produce wearable art pieces based on a 1900s aesthetic.
augustphoenixhats.com
https://linktr.ee/augustphoenixmercantile
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themercantile.bsky.social
Fruits of recent labors - paper lanterns for #Luminata in Seattle, a walking skirt from recycled yardage acquired at the ReCreate shop in Seattle, and a 14th century inspired ensemble for a performer, made from pieced wool and linen scraps from my studio. See the ALT text for more details.
Moroccan style lanterns crafted from laminated paper, with fabric insets and gold paint pen detailing. For sale at the Luminata - a lantern festival and fundraiser for the Fremont Arts Council, September 20 at Greenlake Park in Seattle. https://fremontartscouncil.org/luminata An Edwardian style walking skirt, made from striped cotton yardage that I found at ReCreate - a recycled art supply store in Seattle. Not shown here are a pair of bloomers I cut from a damask tablecloth I found at a local thrift store. This is another step towards converting my wardrobe to a fully 19th century aesthetic. A black linen hood with liripipe, and a sideless surcoat from pieced wools from my shop. Less visible is a long sleeved black wool tunic with cuffs and neck facings from the red striped wool seen here. Not seen here is a full length, long sleeved 'chemise' cut from a damask tablecloth. Every inch of textile in this ensemble are recycled. I am now to the point of piecing linens and wools together to form enough yardage to make garments.
September 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
My project for #WorldCon is an homage to "Britannia", a costume worn by the Baroness of Wolverton to the Duchess of Devonshire's Diamond Jubilee Fancy Dress Ball in 1897.

Because I accidentally won a bid on a breastplate at a fundraiser this weekend...
Roman style embossed brass breastplate, held up to my body and photographed in a mirror. The gorget was already in my jewelry collection. A sepia photo from 1897, showing the Baroness of Wolverton dressed as Britannia,with gown, breast plate, shield and trident. She attended the Duchess of Devonshire's Diamond Jubilee Ball in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria.
April 16, 2025 at 5:27 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
So I've started a new project - stripping lace from a wedding gown and turning it into something else. The front of the bodice is now the back, pearls replaced with glass beads.

Shown here - how it's going, and how it started.
#recycledfashion #OldBecomesNew
A lace bodice from a wedding dress. The cuffs from the sleeves are now pinned in place as pockets. Pearls have been removed and replaced with turquoise colored glass beads, silver leaves and embroidery, which gave some added dimension to the elsewise flat floral motifs in this lace. The lace has been stripped from the bodice of the wedding gown. The lace was glued in several places so I am hand sewing it onto the netting. Fake pearls were also glued to the lace, which I removed by dabbing with rubbing alcohol. The bodice opened up the back, so the back is now the front, and this view will cover the back of my new piece - probably a jacket. The bodice of a wedding gown with long sleeves and lace cuffs. There is a lot of overlapping lace applique which I have now separated out.
February 27, 2025 at 4:58 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
We may have used the same photo library : )

#embroidery #applique #sleepybears
February 21, 2025 at 8:48 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
While I'm busy filling orders for DIY hatmaking kits, my ShopCat has other plans.

#caturday
February 15, 2025 at 11:11 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
Finished teaching my first hatmaking classes yesterday. 11 students 'graduated' with a new hat and new skills. Here's some of those results. I plan to teach another series in the fall. Thinking I might now develop a DIY kit for sale (news at 11 :)
February 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
My first sweater transformation is complete. I'm pretty happy with giving this favorite piece a second lifespan.
February 8, 2025 at 5:26 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
My firm threw me a retirement party - so I showed up in my cobbled together Victorians and brought my Peacock Vest for my colleagues to try on so I could see how it fit on a variety of body types. It worked well on all genders and turned into a fun parlor game : )

#recycledfashion #handcrafted
A knee length wool vest, appliqued with a peacock in rust colored suedecloth, inspired by the Peacock Doors at the Palmer House in Chicago, made from cast bronze by Tiffany in the 1880s. Modeled here by one of my male colleagues, showing that this piece works well on any gender. All materials in this piece were recycled from previously owned sources with the exception of the square studs in the peacock's tail. A knee length wool vest, appliqued with a peacock in rust colored suedecloth, inspired by the Peacock Doors at the Palmer House in Chicago, made from cast bronze by Tiffany in the 1880s. Modeled here by one of my female colleagues, showing that this piece works well on any gender. I also liked that her arm tattoo matched the color scheme. All materials in this piece were recycled from previously owned sources with the exception of the square studs in the peacock's tail. At left is my Peacock Vest being modeled by a male colleague. It's a knee length navy wool vest, appliqued with a peacock in rust colored suedecloth both front and back. The peacock was inspired by the Peacock Doors at the Palmer House in Chicago, made from cast bronze by Tiffany in the 1880s. At right, I am wearing a Neo-Victorian ensemble made from a dark blue skirt, a gifted bustle in navy and wine striped denim, a rust colored silk Chinese skirt (too damaged to restore so I crafted it into a drape and bustle). The blouse was stark white until I tried to dye it, but only the embroidery on the collar and sleeves took the dye. My navy waistcoat is a thrift store find that I tricked out with some passementerie and new brass buttons. All materials in both pieces were recycled from previously owned sources with the exception of the square studs in the peacock's tail at left, and the gifted bustle at right.
January 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
The 8th Day of Christmas brings what might be the 8th rendition of this overskirt, from vinyl window screening, rayon fringe from a dumpster dive, a gift of a beaded shawl, and a tassel & button from my stash. To be worn at Holiday Party Number 2... Twelfth Night!
#neovictorian #usewhatyouhave
A neo-victorian overskirt made from a piece of reclaimed vinyl door screening, edged with rayon fringe from a dumpster dive, a gifted beaded shawl, and a button and tassel from my sewing stash. Black on black on black but lots of texture.
January 1, 2025 at 8:21 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
"Rain on Pine Tree" photographed December 2024.
May 2025 bring you the tranquility to deal with the things you cannot change, and the courage to change the things you can.
January 1, 2025 at 5:35 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
My recent textile project involved wrapping a spiral staircase in about 1,000 yards of fabric remnants, to prevent children and clumsy adults from stepping through the too-widely spaced spindles. A safety issue that called for a creative solution.
January 1, 2025 at 5:33 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
I don't decorate for the holidays, but received this lovely poinsettia as 1 of many parting gifts to mark my retirement from 23 years of office management at bryantchristie.com. Check out their company page for current job listings. New projects coming soon.

Also, Happy #Solstice, Happy #Caturday
December 21, 2024 at 8:12 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
It'll be a fun wear. Here's the view of the bustle in case you missed it:
A lobster tail bustle in blue and wine striped denim with a ruff at the hem, underneath a secondary bustle of rust colored silk, made from an embroidered antique Chinese panel skirt.
December 17, 2024 at 4:23 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
Much of the stained glass here was recycled. During the the Fourth Crusade, many pieces were redistributed to churches in the West. Historians at the time recorded that “compared to the Crusaders, Arabians are more compassionate…”
davenotravels.blog/2021/05/23/c...

#StainedGlassSunday #churches
December 8, 2024 at 6:55 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
Here's the full front and back views of the ensemble I posted yesterday - cobbled together from my collection of #historicallyinspired #fashions. My New Normal for day-to-evening wear : )
Denim colored vest, white blouse, blue wool skirt cut from an 1880s pattern, topped with a draped apron made from an antique Chinese panel skirt that was too damaged to restore. (Rust colored silk with heavily embroidered front and back panels. Denim colored vest, white blouse, blue wool skirt cut from an 1880s pattern, topped with a draped apron made from an antique Chinese panel skirt that was too damaged to restore. (Rust colored silk with heavily embroidered front and back panels. The striped denim bustle is a style called a lobster tail, normally worn under the skirt, but mine is too pretty to hide : )
December 7, 2024 at 6:33 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
I'm playing with wardrobe pieces today for the Festive Season. This is my ensemble for my retirement party in January, minus the traveling coats and hat. The invite was Asian-arts themed, as a nod to my early hatmaking and costuming. So I added my antique Chinese skirt as bustle, as a nod back : )
Victorian inspired ensemble with skirt, lobster tail bustle, shirt, vest and an antique Chinese Panel Skirt that was too damaged to restore, but made a perfect overdrape. The ensemble is blue, the panel skirt is rusty orange.
December 6, 2024 at 10:01 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
Two of my favorite from the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, for #StainedGlassSunday

#topkapi #turkiye #travel

davenotravels.blog/2021/04/28/c...
December 1, 2024 at 4:00 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
I'm retiring soon and asked my FB fans what to wear to my party. Given 3 choices, the vote was for my most recent work, based on a 1913 Model T Duster and the Peacock Doors at the Palmer House in Chicago.

It will be for sale shortly thereafter (shirt not included).

#recycledfashion #handwork
November 30, 2024 at 1:24 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
Love the weekend, when I make a plan and then ignore it.

During the plague, I started wearing my Renn gown as a housecoat. Today my 40yr-old Tibetan boots became house slippers. I don't do the medieval/renn thing anymore, but to each and every thing there is a repurpose.

#reuse #usewhatyouhave
Rennaissance overcoat made from a green brocade curtain. Black cat in the foreground, hats I've made in the background. Red felt Tibetan boots, now house slippers.
November 23, 2024 at 8:39 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
Is #caturday a thing here? Please welcome Granada, my current Shopcat, to bsky!

#studiocats #helpercats #cats
November 23, 2024 at 3:15 PM
themercantile.bsky.social
Having finally finished moving my day-job office, I find myself too tired to post anything meaningful. So please enjoy this fav photo of me and Odin, my first ShopCat, the day I brought home my first laptop. See the others at augustphoenixhats.com/meet-the-sho...

#cats #studiocats #sewingbuddies
November 23, 2024 at 1:42 AM
themercantile.bsky.social
My shop is too small to allow it to get messy : /
November 22, 2024 at 3:05 AM