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Belle Armoire®
May/June 2006
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SPECIAL FEATURES

6 Wire Crochet: Make a Beaded Cuff & Brooch
by Sue Ingram
There’s nothing basic about these jewelry pieces made using simple crochet stitches. Delicate wire and shimmering beads are crocheted together to make a stylish bracelet and brooch.

10 A Call for Altered Art: An Altered Scarf
by Jenny Doh
Somerset Studio Editor-in-Chief Jenny Doh is an enthusiastic modifier of garments. She challenges you to join in on the fun by submitting your best and most unique altered wearables.

36 Designing as She Goes...Mermaid Jewelry
by Nancy Goes
This fanciful beaded jewelry may cause you to daydream about a day at the beach. These are perfect projects to make on a warm afternoon.

52 Artful Journey to Malaysia: Batik Week
by Michelle Newman
Travel to Malaysia with Michelle Newman for Batik Week and experience how a traditional craft is being revitalized ... with fl air.

56 Japanese Basket Purse
by Donna Sakamoto Crispin
A combination of basic basket weaving and sewing is used to create this traditional Japanese kinchaku (pouch). Step-by-step instructions guide you through the process.

DEPARTMENTS

14 Clay Arts: Rosie Rolled Bead Necklace
by Jana Roberts Benzon
Step-by-step instructions guide you to make an easy and elegant polymer clay necklace that combines the unexpected mix of millefi ore cane and brass tubing.

20 Accoutrements: A Wearable Jigsaw Puzzle
by Arlene Handschuch
The process for making this striking garment is quite simple and surprising -- over 1,000 paper “puzzle pieces” cover the surface of this amazing coat.

24 Threads: A Mermaid Vest
by Alice Sanchez
Multiple layers of batik and sheer fabrics are stitched together to give a painterly feel to this summery vest. The star is a beautiful embellished mermaid swimming across the back.

27 Cover Story: Designed to Suit Making Collage Artwear
by Janice Lowry
Combining luxurious silk fabrics, unique trims and vintage buttons, Janice Lowry creates the “perfect thing to wear.”

35 The Professional Artist
by Sarajane Helm
Succeeding as an artist requires the ability to manage factors beyond your direct control -- and the fl exibility to weather dry spells.

May/June 2006
ON OUR COVER

Janice Lowry was motivated to create this silk collage jacket after a search for the “perfect” thing to wear.

42 Designer Collection: Louise Duhamel
by Ricë Freeman-Zachery
The richly textured bead and metal clay jewelry of Louise Duhamel has graced the pages of Belle Armoire over the years. Be inspired as she shares her creative journey.

62 Salon
by our readers
Beautiful art to wear garments, one-of-a-kind accessories and stunning jewelry -- 11 pages of fresh creations handmade by our readers.

96 Tapestry: A Button Family History
by Joanne Seiff
An inheritance of buttons becomes the center of a family’s tradition and a channel for memories. Joanne Seiff shares her tale of the hand-me-down buttons.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

2 Letter from the Editor

74 The Artist’s Library
Book reviews
by Sharilyn Miller

76 Happenings
A calendar of conventions, workshops & tours.

80 Into the Wardrobe
Next issue offerings.

81 Details
by our readers
Learn more about the items found on our Salon pages.

88 Advertiser Index
Find our advertisers with this handy index!

89 Submission Guidelines
You can be published!

95 Polymer Clay Basics
Tips & tricks for success with clay.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING

87 Online Connections

87 Bead Bazaar
88 Catalog Collection

PHOTO CREDITS

Sylvia Bissonnette: Cover and pages 6, 10, 14, 24, 27-28, 30, 32, 36, 42, 45-46, 49, 51, 62-68, 70-72 .
Lorin Backe: Pages 29, 67, 68.
Brittney Petty: Pages 12, 96.
Michelle Newman: Pages 52, 53-55.
Jana Roberts Benzon: Pages 15-19.
Arlene Handschuch: Pages 21-22.
Below are pages from Belle Armoire, May/June 2006.
If you know how to do basic crochet, you can make a sparkling bead and fine wire brooch and cuff bracelet. Simply add the beads to the wire and pulls beads up between stitches to form the design. Sue Ingram shares this fast technique.

Turn bits and pieces of polymer clay into a striking necklace. Jana Roberts Benzon gives step-by-step instructions to make colorful beads that combine millifiore cane and brass tubing.
For those who love to stitch embellished garments, Alice Sanchez shares how she created this charming vest that features a lovely mermaid floating across the back. Combining appliqué and free-motion stitching, Alice created an underwater world by layering colored sheer fabric over speckled batik.
Janice Lowry’s stunning jacket shown on the cover is only one of the richly textured collage coats she shares with our readers. Janice explains how her search for the right thing to wear led her to create these stunning, yet comfortable, garments. So comfortable, in fact, her husband likes to wear one, too.
Visit with Louise Duhamel, who has created so many stunning jewelry pieces in Belle Armoire over the years. She shares the story of how her art progressed, her source for inspiration and her methodical approach to creating her signature jewelry.
Mix basket making and easy sewing to create a kinchaku, or traditional Japanese basket purse. The detailed how-to instructions by Donna Sakamoto Crispin lead you through all the steps to make the woven reed bottom and the gathered fabric pouch top.
Salon
by our readers
Enjoy art-to-wear garments, beaded jewelry, polymer clay, scarves and other fashion accessories handmade by our readers.
 
 
     
submission guidelines
ed. departments