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Belle Armoire®
May/June 2007
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SPECIAL FEATURES

6 Joyful Obsessions: Color, Polymer & PMC
by Pat Bolgar
Growing up with seven brothers and a sister on a farm in Kansas meant a lot of making do. But the author's early experience in problem solving, working with her hands and seeing nature up close now serves her well as a jewelry maker.

18 Silver Wire Knit & Crochet Necklace
by Nancy Pollack
Looking for a new way to show off her polymer clay beads, led the author into wire work.

22 Juxtaposing Jacquards Ribbon Dress
by Tracy Jennings
The author designed a dress to communicate the common ground and common values among cultures despite their unique differences and complexities.

26 Living Out Loud Handbags
Artwork by Julie Corcoran
Vintage brooches and baubles, vintage keys and chandelier crystals, Scrabble tiles, photo transfers and even pennies are essential embellishments for one fabric artist's whimsical line of handbags.

30 Peyote, Poms & Tassels Necklaces
by Carolann Tebbetts
Determined to unravel the secret of a pom-pom focal bead spotted at a crafts fair, the author embarks on a journey to learn peyote and brick stitching. What she learns inspires her to make jewelry featuring pom-poms and tassels.

36 The Bride Wore Bib Overalls
Artwork by Suzanne Vinmans
Story by Michelle Flores
Suzanne Vinmans recovers from a traumatizing stint working in a bridal salon by creating a denim-and-organza wedding dress from altered bib overalls. In the process, she makes an artistic statement on over-the-top weddings.

50 Wistful Wristlets to Make in a Snap!
by Lilla Le Vine
Light as thistedown but heavy on style, wristlets are at once softly romantic with an old-fashioned flair, yet totally modern.

58 Pleasantly Plum Patchwork Jackets
by Sally Silvers
The author grabs the opportunity to raid her stash for special fabrics collected on trips to make a pair of lightweight jackets perfect for nearly any occasion.

DEPARTMENTS

10 Designer Collection: The Rust-Eyed Visions of Maureen Cox
by Ricë Freeman-Zachery
Textile designer Maureen Cox likes to stain cloth with rust, and in doing so she creates gorgeous combinations of dye and rust printing with found objects.

25 The Professional Artist: Blogs: Riding the Next Wave
by Sarajane Helm
Though you may have little experience surfing the Web or typing computer code, you still can catch the new wave of blogging, the author explains.

May/June 2007
ON OUR COVER

The combination of precious metal clay and polymer clay takes and unexpectedly delicate and feminine turn in the artisitc hands of Pat Bolgar. Find out more about her passion for clay and colors on page 6.

38 Inspired by Design: Ornamental Structures
by Justine Limpus Parish
Techniques such as pleating, stitching, folding and draping are part of the architectural as well as garment design vocabulary, thanks to technology.

40 Threads: Machine Needle Felting
by Sherrill Kahn
There's no denying that felting is the hottest trend around. Why not try it with one of the new needle felting machines? The author explores the ways.

43 Altered Couture: Artwear That's Fun to Wear
Bunny Lang, Sue Bleiweiss, Monica Han, Colleen Davis, Barbara Matthiessen, Efrat Dalton and Suzanne Vinmans transform T-shirts, dress shoes, ties, suit jackets and denim.

52 Clay Arts: Ultraight Caged Beads
by syndee holt
Like the dramatic look of large caged beads, but hate the weight? The author takes the weight off by using a lightweight polymer clay.

56 Student Runway: The Catwalk for Apprentice Artwear
Are you a student of wearable art and/or fashion design? Are you a design instructor or professor in an apparel program? Step onto the catwalk!

62 Salon
by Our Readers
Prepare to be inspired by this gallery of terrific art-to-wear garments, stylish accessories and beautiful jewelry made by our readers.

96 Tapestry: Remembering My Mother Purse
by Wendee Deal
Once the author started making things, her mom was her number one fan and supporter. Those memories have turned bittersweet in the years since the dementia started.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

2 Letters to the Editor

3 Letter from the Editor

74 The Artist’s Library: Book Reviews
by Michelle Flores

71 Necessities: Product Reviews
by Michelle Flores

72 Happenings
A calendar of conventions, workshops & tours.

82 Into the Wardrobe
Next issue offerings.

83 Details
by Our Readers
Learn more about the techniques and materials for the items presented in Salon.

86 Advertiser Index
Find our advertisers with this handy index!

94 Submission Guidelines
You can be published!

95 Polymer Clay & Fabric Painting Basics
Tips for starting out in clay and textile decoration.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING

86 Online Connections

86 Destinations

PHOTO CREDITS

Sylvia Bissonnette: Cover and pages 6, 10, 12-13, 14, 18, 22, 26, 29, 31, 36, 40, 52, 58, 62-63, 64 and 67-68.
Lorin Backe: 7-8, 15, 16-17, 41, 43-48, 56-57, 63, 65, 66 and 69.

Below are pages from Belle Armoire, May/June 2007.
A funny thing happened to Designer Collection profile subject on the way to becoming a consultant to textile companies: she broke out of making repeatable patterns and embraced the accidental art that comes with rust dyeing.

Jewelry artist Nancy Pollack combines polymer clay beads, pearls and beads in a stunning wire necklace that incorporates both crochet and knitting.

Fabric artist and fashion instructor Tracy Jennings explores the unifying themes between cultures with a richly textured ribbon dress.

You don’t have to live on a farm to appreciate the artistry of Suzanne Vinmans’ beautifully embroidered wedding gown that got its start as a pair of white denim bib overalls.

Dive into the new art of machine needle felting. Sherrill Kahn goes over the many ways to embellish clothing and accessories.

Love the look of large beads but height the weight? Polymer clay artist syndee holt demonstrates how to make nearly weightless caged beads with Sculpey Ultra Light.

Artwear apprentices get their turn on the virtual catwalk in Belle Armoire’s newest department, Student Runway.
 
 
     
submission guidelines
ed. departments