Truly Unique By Elise Fiber Art

Handspun yarns...

2012-02-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

I was back at the wheel this month. Pretty merinos for wristwarmers and mittens and 2 coils for my sis to play with.

New line...Commuter Chic

2012-01-20T11:40:00.001-05:00

Mosaic design of silk fabrics felted together for warmth and texture. Long and slender, this one is perfect for the simple noose wrap to keep you warm. More to come :)

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

Warm Habotai and Chiffon Nuno Scarf in pretty purples, greens and blues...

A little treat for my show tomorrow....

2011-12-03T10:57:00.000-05:00

How about a pinch pleated super soft merino nuno felted beret???

Maroon and Teal

2011-11-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

Raspberry Orange

2011-11-27T13:15:00.002-05:00

Black and Blue Zebra

2011-11-27T13:14:00.000-05:00

Greens Tans and Corals

2011-11-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

My Kiosk is DONE!!!

2011-11-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

Everything it tagged, pressed and this is the basic layout for this years display. I'm going to take a 3 day nap now....

How 'bout a bit of neutral....

2011-11-19T08:47:00.000-05:00

Camel wool with pale grey, black, pale yellow with a tiny touch of baby blue...

Cheer Up!!! It's Friday!!!

2011-11-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

The weather may be chilly but you can still do pretty pink to ward off the chills :)

Earthy tones Nuno Scarf

2011-11-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

I may have to keep this one :)....when I was hanging it on the mannequin I just grabbed the two dreadlocks and tied it just to secure it. Now I want a black or dark brown dress to wear with this.

Tons of color!!! Floral and tie dye...

2011-11-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

I've been hanging on to this piece of floral silk for a while, trying to pair it up with other silks. Couldn't find anything to go with it so I decided to tie dye a plain piece of silk to coordinate with it. I love how it turned out :)

Fiber Friday....Coral Pink and Brown....

2011-11-11T16:24:00.002-05:00

Plum Pretty

2011-11-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

lots of ruffles in plums and pink tones....

Special Order on it's way.....

2011-11-07T14:50:00.001-05:00

Fiber Friday...Red and Black Zebra/Dot/Floral and Black and White Nuno Scarves

2011-11-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

I'm back in the studio, gearing up for my December Show....

I'm getting bored with black!!!

2011-10-18T23:03:00.000-05:00

3 more black combo scarves to finish. So I had to get some color up on the planning wall :)

As promised...BLACK...

2011-10-17T19:36:00.001-05:00

And two of them this time!!!!

Lillies and Leopards

2011-10-15T20:48:00.001-05:00

This scarf is alot of fun. Lilly and leopard print mixed with a brown oval dot silk. Patina merino with a bit of coral angelina, coral and hot pink hand carded silk on the back and a few dreads for fun.

I think I'm getting over my "purple" block...

2011-10-14T19:56:00.001-05:00

There is just something about purple....and me. Maybe because purple is not one of my personal colors to wear. So...what about just using purple as the accent with my kind of colors. I think this worked out quite well. 3 different silk fabrics, the brown is beaded and sequined...it's gorgeous. A little bit of sparkle angelina in the purple merino and tone it back down with brown silk over the back. And a few dreads for fun!

Feeling blue on a rainy day?

2011-10-13T09:02:00.001-05:00

This should perk you up. Soft blues and tans with a crushed brown solid silk, tan will with a bit of angelina mixed in and a pretty blue silk on the back with two dreadlocks.

This is how to do one of my tropical weight scarves!!

2011-10-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

Thanks for modeling for me Sarah! Wrapped so that the silk, not wool is against her neck...great for a cool evening at the beach.

Tiny Rose Posies Nuno Scarf

2011-09-30T12:09:00.001-05:00

Rose pink crinkle chiffon and tiny rose and cream posies silk. Brown Merino wool with a bit of copper angela, back of scarf is covered in natural color silk.

Black and Brown Animal Print

2011-09-29T10:17:00.001-05:00

Black and brown coordinated silks with black merino, a bit of angelina sparkle and brown silk back. Check out the two little dreadlocks :).

Ice Princess

2011-09-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

Blue violet print silk with handdyed violet for that pop of color. Ice blue merino with a bit of Ice blue Angelina fibers. Back is cover in white silk fibers.

Got Artpiece #1 for Lair...my David Scherer Clock :)

2011-09-20T11:16:00.000-05:00

Sis and I went to the in Tarrytown NY...GREAT SHOW!!!

http://www.artrider.com/lyndf2011.html show link....I'd recommend any Artrider show for a great day!!!

I scored this awesome pendulum clock from artist David Scherer...

http://www.firenet.tv/ check out his studio!!!

How about some Cabbage Roses?

2011-09-14T20:51:00.001-05:00

Cabbage rose and animal print silk with camel merino blended with angelina sparkle. Back of scarf is cover with chartruse silk.

Special Order Teal Floral & Dots

2011-09-12T11:06:00.001-05:00

Two coordinated teal silk fabrics, teal and dusty blue merino fibers blended with sparkly angelina fibers...back of the scarf is overlayed with teal silk...

Coral is the new pink for this season

2011-09-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a pop of color, this is the one. 2 brown silks and coral merino. Natural silk on the back.

Snake Print Scarf

2011-09-06T22:35:00.001-05:00

Snake print silk with mustard merino. This scarf has the usuall full neckline and thin tails made from a few large circles of silk. The whole scarf if outlined in cutwork circles.

Pop of Color Animal Print

2011-09-05T14:36:00.001-05:00

Two mixed animal prints combined with bright turquoise merino. Brown silk on the back an lots of holes to pull the scarf through.

Special Order Leopard Print

2011-09-04T17:33:00.002-05:00

Fabric picked by customer was the silver leopard print. It's paired up with a black, white and grey floral with surged edge flaps, black wool with metalic angelina and silver dyed silk over the back.

Back to my office renovation....teaser...

2011-09-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ok...my throne is completed....new window seat with files below, curtain tieback courtesy of "Charming Charlies"....scored these great tassel necklaces...in the perfect colors.

Before and after picks coming soon...(gotta clean it up for photos) :)

Red and Black Nuno Scarf with Beaded Hearts

2011-08-31T19:44:00.003-05:00

Red Merino wool carded with black Tussan silk. Mix of reclaimed silk chiffon fabrics, some beaded. Warm and fun with that black or grey winter coat.

Special Order Scarf

2011-08-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

The fabric selected was the dots...the other fabrics I paired with it.

On this picture you can see a peek at the back of the scarf. Swirled with burgandy silk.

Silk Selections for Special Orders...

2011-08-26T16:36:00.001-05:00

Before I start chopping them up. I love having a rainbow in my studio :)
If you want a close of up of a fabric, let me know.

Wave one of reclaimed silk nuno scarves

2011-08-24T15:45:00.005-05:00

Merino wool and silk fibers are combined with reclaimed silk chiffon and crepe fabrics. Scarves have in common a lightweight center of the scarf...meaning, more silk fabric than merino/silk fiber. What this does for the scarf is give you beautiful draping options and if you're like me and just like the quick and easy "loop and through" method, the loop is not bulky because of the center silk. All of these scarves look beautiful in the "double wrap" also. The silk folds and drapes very softly. I'll be taking individual photo's soon.

My Favorite scarf tying methods:

Mmmm...Mustard Preview

2011-07-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Mustard Yellow is HOT HOT HOT for Fall 2011. Made with reclaimed silks and a blend of Blue Face Leicester wool and silk, this scarf can provide lots of warmth if needed by wrapping around your face, (and you can even position breathing holes :)) This wool felted loftier than my merino nuno scarves, it's super soft and has a slightly fuzzy appearance to the fabric.

This scarf is extra long, and has 3 panels of silk at the neckline which gives it great drape when worn as shown in the wrap around tie method...or....

...when wrapped in the European Loop. Lots of silk chiffon is around the neckline which give it a lofty yet lightweight feel around your neck. It's a lightweight yet warm scarf without the bulk.

Sneak preview of my 2011 Holiday line

2011-07-18T21:18:00.002-05:00

Free form nuno scarf from reclaimed silk chiffon fabrics. Teals, greens and purple with a pop of leopard. More silk fabric at the neckline, light on the wool resulting in more drape and wrap options. Remember the fiber and fabric tease? http://trulyuniquebyelise.blogspot.com/2011/07/fiber-batts-dyed-and-carded-to-match.html

VOTE FOR ME!!!! Artscape Fashion Contest

2011-07-17T08:32:00.002-05:00

My entry reclaimed silk chiffon nuno scarf - free form design!!! Please go to Facebook, "attend" the "Artscape 2011 Fashion Competition" page and like my pic. $250.00 prize and a writeup on their website!!!

Friday Fiber Tease....

2011-07-15T20:05:00.000-05:00

How about some black and pink reclaimed silk, pink merino and silk fiber...This combo just reminds me of a poodle skirt...but rest assured this one is going to work up really cute. I made a small one for my niece and need to get her to model it for me.

Thursday Fiber Tease

2011-07-14T06:16:00.000-05:00

Another fiber combination....brown, gold and rust silks with a carded fiber bat in merino with natural color tussan silk blended...

Another Fiber Coordinate....

2011-07-13T08:12:00.000-05:00

Rainbow of peach and pink silks. Hand carded blend of salmon and coral merino with some salmon tussan silk.

Rainbow of reclaimed silks...

2011-07-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

Part of the grueling prep work. All cut out and sorted :).....

Coordinated Silks and Fibers

2011-07-11T15:13:00.003-05:00

Printed silk chiffon overdyed teal to coordinate with tropical silk, purple merino fiber, tussan silk dyed chartruse and carded with the merino to coordinate with the reclaimed silk fabrics....got alot of prep work done this weekend :)

I'll be back soon....

2011-06-25T17:18:00.000-05:00

Reclaimed silk chiffon...ready for????

Reclaimed Silk Nuno Scarf

2011-05-04T16:11:00.000-05:00

1st in a series....made from reclaimed silk clothing...I love the ruffle :)

Curtains are up in the Lair!!!

2011-04-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Cushion is on hold....I've decide to use a zipper to enclose the cover so I've got more fabric to measure, cut and get ready for assembly.

I need to get to Charming Charlies and find a few necklaces as tiebacks!!!

2011 Crop pants on the cheap....

2011-04-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

I cleaned out my closet, boxing up winter stuff and taking out summer stuff, all while purging out stuff for Goodwill. Looking at my summer pants I decided I needed a new pair of denim crop pants so I started surfing seeing what styles were out there, prices etc. Well I came across these for $48.00. SERIOUSLY!!! All they look like to me are a pair of old jeans, cut off and cuffed. And guess what? I have a few pair of jeans that look good but have shrunk up in length (so I only wear them with boots)...but hey...what the heck....I'm going to cut a pair down, not sew the edge like the pictured pair and make me up some spring fashion from a pair of jeans that were destined for the Goodwill bag. :)

Window Seat Cushion for the Lair....Part 1

2011-04-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Finally!!!...working a bit in the lair!!!....

Start with a 2" thick piece of the "good stuff" upholstery foam and wrap and glue with batting.....

Get that final seam nice and even...in my case, not necessarily straight but even :)

I decided to close off the raw seams by gluing a strip of silk chiffon over the raw seams...it worked like a charm!!!

And finish the end like wrapping a present....once it's dry (and the glue does stink!!!)...it's up to the studio for wrapping with the fabric!!!

Studio Happenings 1st Week of February...

2011-02-06T16:24:00.001-05:00

I've accomplished quite a bit...got a bunch of new camera/pdf/blackberry cases done. Why...cuz I needed a new one for my new camera, so you know the design is tops. Thick felt and I mean thick will protect you electronics. I've still got to get some hardware for them before I list them, but once again, I can do these in any size or color combination. Next up...spring fever nuno scarves....thinking bright and cheery!!

Fabrics for the Lair

2011-02-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

A better picture than on FB. The Burgandy/Green sheer just shimmers and it does have allover embroidery. The upholstery fabric has bright olive green with teal and burgandy running thru it. The paint chip is on off from my original thoughts for this room. A bit more yellowish green. I'll be using 2 colors off of this swatch. The room has lots of funky short walls and angles so the room lends itself to painting walls different colors.

Valentine Day Sale at the Unknown Artist

2011-02-01T08:37:00.001-05:00

It really is organized chaos

2011-01-29T19:25:00.000-05:00

Ok. The floor is messy..rovings and fibers all over the place...

My excuse was that I was working on fiber batts for hand rolled felt camera cases. Peek in the basket above the rovings. What you see there is a basket full of failures.

I finally got it to the size I want and the thickness. The winning size is the purple and tan ones in front of the rovings. The tan on has an inner layer of sweet targhee wool, which really makes the inside cushion to protect the camera. That's the winning fiber combination.

More work on the kindle bags. Mom is working on the bags. I've carded up 2 more artbatts to spin (the grey and purple on the top shelf).

On the shelf below, is the spun yarn, with the decorative button selected poking out of the center. Fibers are going to be used to make the hand rolled straps.

After a day of fiber flying all over the studio, and easy clean up into the boxes and baskets. Projects are lined up and ready to go as time permits.

Kindle Bag

2011-01-21T10:24:00.001-05:00

Crossover bag that is just big enough for your Kindle and glasses. Handdyed perivuan wool for the bag, the flap is knitted in handspun art yarn, the strap is handrolled merino and is adjustable. Magnetic snap closure and decorative button. This is the 1st in the 2011 line of these bags. More to come!!!

Available now at my
Artfire Shop

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=2779224

Handspun art yarn from last weeks fiber batts...

2011-01-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

So pretty...I can't wait to see how these felt out!!!

More Fiber Batts

2011-01-02T22:28:00.005-05:00

More fiber batts to be spun into singles for felting.....

Blues and brown merino, natural sweetgrass targhee, brown and natural silk, copper angelina fiber. 2.0 oz

Teal merino, purple merino/silk, natural sweet grass targhee, turquoise and chartruse silk and purple angelina fibers. 2.2 oz

Brown, salmon, gold and purple merino, brown and salmon silk, natural sweet grass targhee, dyed mohair locks. 2.2 oz

Green, sage, red, camel, and salmon merino, black silk, mohair locks 2.0 oz

First Fiber Batt of the New Year...

2011-01-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

Yummy....burgandy silk/merino, peach silk, black merino with specks of sari silk blended in....

One for me, One for you....

2010-12-28T09:20:00.000-05:00

Patty and I finally sorted through the buttons that she scored at Stitches East....this is my pick of buttons from the stash she scored...

My Line is now on display at the "Unknown Artist"

2010-12-15T09:32:00.002-05:00

The weather outside is frightful!!! I've consigned my scarf and hat line to the Unknown Artist Boutique in Annapolis Maryland.

http://www.the-unknownartist.com/

Items will be there until the end of March. If you see anything in my Artfire shop that you want, please send me a message and I'll see if it's still in stock. Special orders are ALWAYS welcome and watch this blog and my Facebook page for new items for my 2011 line!!

Scenes from the ALS Artisan Boutique

2010-12-13T18:32:00.000-05:00

here are some pics

My booth

Kristen & Cameron

Susan

Cindy

2hands indie market...
....Allyson

Rkia's Flower Garden

2010-12-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend Rkia made up some flowers for the ALS show from handmade felt. They are gorgeous!!!...colors are much prettier in person and her attention to detail is impeccable!!!

Mixed Media Nuno Scarves!!! Ready for the ALS Show...except one :)

2010-12-01T17:37:00.000-05:00

The one that Debby chose as her Cyber Monday Prize!!!...

Mixed Media Nuno Scarves....

2010-11-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Just a sampling of what I've been working on lately. Renew, recycle, reuse. These scarve are accented with reclaimed silk fabrics from scarves and clothing and a little bit from my scrap pile. It's still a nuno, on a base of featherweight chiffon fabric, but I laminated additional silk treasures on top creating a super crinkly effect. I'm really enjoying this technique and love that I can reclaim the remaining silk from a scarf with a hole, or a blouse with a stain.

2 Hands Market was very nice show!!

2010-11-08T07:11:00.000-05:00

I had a great time at the market...I would definately do another show with this group. The event was well organized and advertised.

http://www.2handsmarket.com/

Esther's finished totebag

2010-11-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night at Northridge Knitters...Esther's first felted handbag is finished!!! The whole group was super proud of her and Esther couldn't wait to show it off to her family and friends.

Esther is finally done with her tote bag

2010-10-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so proud of her!!!....I'm going to felt the bag for her soon...she's one of those Red Hatters...she wanted to put red straps on it and I said NO WAY!!!...it would ruin all the work she's done. So up next...one for her Society events.

Quiet Waters - The Blue Heron Room

2010-10-03T10:46:00.000-05:00

I was in a great room with lots of friendly sellers...I had more fun at this show than I've ever had!! Here are some of my new friends and favorites from the show.

My booth...#1 right near the parking lot entry door.

Cameron and Kristen of Quirk and Bach Pottery http://www.quirknbachpottery.com/

My girlfriend Ryki who came to help me out on Sunday..shopping as usual :)

Joe's booth...Crabtown Photography...one of my booth neighbors (we were both in the promo photo shoot)...he taught me a few tricks about my new camera!!! http://www.annapoliscrabtownphotos.com/

My other booth neighbor Lori of Dalango Creations. Beautiful Fused glass jewelry. We had soo much fun and I hope to have her as a booth neighbor again!!! http://www.dalangocreations.bizhosting.com/

Susan Gist, metalsmith of Ezria Designs. http://www.ezriadesigns.etsy.com/

Cynthia of SweetWells...beautiful hand painted glass functional items. http://www.sweetwells.com/SweetWells/Home.html

Promo Photo Shoot at Quiet Waters Park

2010-09-12T14:08:00.001-05:00

Quiet Waters Art and Music Festival...is just 2 weekends away!!!

http://friendsofquietwaterspark.org/arts_festival/home.html

Elise Miller, Truly Unique By Elise

Donna Brooks, Picture Windows

Joseph Gruver, Crabtown Photography

Trash to Treasure

2010-09-01T20:41:00.001-05:00

Ok...I'm playing. After a season of fiber project you end up with a bunch of little bits of fiber that are not worth organizing. Throw them in a bag, sort them out by color scheme and turn some trash into treasure. My trash to treasure fiber batts are always used on my felted soaps.

http://www.1000markets.com/users/trulyuniquebyelise/collections/12508/products/2359

And finally some virgin carded merino/silk, silk caps, angelina, handdyed cotton schrim...stay tuned :)

The basic display layout...

2010-08-28T22:10:00.002-05:00

WHEW...done....I had to figure out what to do with all those darn candle holders Dottie worked on :)...

I kinda like how the new gridwall hat holders make it look like the hats are floating in the other corner. I also decided to bag the waterfall handbag holders. They take up way too much room and I think the straight long pegs work nicer in this configuration.

ACCOMPLISHED!!! All packed up and ready. Now I can FINALLY play with that french silk I got in NYC with my bff Lori! Patty will be happy I have her remote office desk setup for her upcoming visit :)

If you're thinking about setting up a new studio, I really recommend gridwall. I started out with 4 walls, 2 corner shelves and some pegs and have been able to expand the system as the need arises. In my case, I break this down and take it to shows with me, but in the off season it's the greatest system for organizing projects, especially with the ability to EASILY move shelving around whenever your needs change.

Sometimes things happen for a reason.....

2010-08-28T16:13:00.001-05:00

So I'm getting ready to list some new merino/silk scarves. I bring the scarf to my desk so I can look at it while describing the colors and the textures and look closer and the gold threads are starting to fall out like tinsel...and falling out quite easily. So...lesson learned....metallic tinseled cotton scrim doesn't work. But that's ok...I like this scarf even better without the gold tinsel...looks more organic...your thoughts?

before I tore out all the gold tinsel

while pulling out the tinsel (and letting the old Dyson clean up the mess)....I like it much better!!! An experiment that ended up working out just fine!

This one is for my peep Jessica xo......

READY....

2010-08-25T22:36:00.001-05:00

I'm in gettin' ready mode for the upcoming shows.

Photographing...done....YEA!...I hate that the most....but Roger has done the comparisons on new cameras and I think he likes the Sony the best. He's done the research, I just wanted a new digital camera that did the best with indoor photography and was smaller than the beastie one I have.

Tagging...Very important. I know I'm not the only one who goes to a show, looks at items and if there's no prices I may be reluctant to ask the seller. Maybe it's just me...I don't know. I want my customers to be able to pick up an item and know how much it costs. We're not selling cars here :)

So here are some of the final little things I've been working on for the show.

Next up....SET.....setup the display....configure the gridwall and lay out items to see which way it will work the best. That's kinda fun :)

Felted Flowers

Camera Cases

Kitty Cracknip...oh yes...it's back!!!!

New Felt Scarves. A play on texture, these scarves are made of hand carded merino/silk with cotton scrim accents, a few holes here and there and handdyed silk edges.

More off the "To Do" List

2010-08-21T00:08:00.000-05:00

Small candle holders and new clutch bag prototype felted and drying. The felting work for the upcoming show is done! All that's left in the unfinished pile are the handspun skull caps that Dottie finished up in July. I've got to check the length and get the ribbed edge done. Wait til you see the colors of these hats!

Oh...and I had to show off the felt flowers :)

Hard Hittin' Chili

2010-07-30T10:44:00.003-05:00

One of my fondest memories from childhood were the hot dog stands in New Britain. It was a treat to get take out dogs from Snack-Eateria on Corbin Ave. Alot of folks from New Britain will argue that Capitol Lunch had the better chili dogs, but we could walk to Snack-Eateria and that old Greek dude could cook up some mean chili. So in my quest to duplicate that memory, I have come close with this chili recipe, modified from a few Cincinnati Chili recipe's. If you want the spice list, please send a note asking for the "complete" recipe. Enjoy and let me know if it brings back memories to those old taste buds!

Checking more off the to-do list

2010-07-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to felting up the last batch of soap I needed for the show. I also think I have enough "soap cocoons" to bring back a few "Kitty Cracknip" toys.

Dottie's Felted Vessels

2010-07-25T09:38:00.000-05:00

The felted candle cozies have been one of Mom's knitting projects for this season, besides knitting the men's hats.

I would start them for her by knitting the bottom of each vessel, placing each one in a separate zip lock bag with coordinated yarn and texture fibers that I wanted her to use for each vessel. Dottie would finish them up and give them to me to add the additional texture "pebbles" and "bubbles" and fell them.

In production right now are about a dozen more of the really short vessels like you see on the red candle below. These are the simplest of all of the cozies because they are solid without texture additions so finishing on them for me takes less time.

Now back to to studio to see what else is on the get finished list.

Latest Wave of Tropical Nuno Scarves

2010-07-20T16:54:00.001-05:00

Here's a sneak peak of the latest batch of Tropical nuno scarves and new line of merino/silk warm scarves. Yes...warm even with the holes in them :) I'll be listing them soon to 1000 Markets...(it's such a pain listing stuff knowing that it's hot as heck and no one cares about wool right now).

Fresh out of the dyepot...

2010-07-04T13:05:00.000-05:00

More scarves to nuno felt....

Sneak Peak!! Gradient Color Nuno Scarves

2010-07-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

Handdyed silk scarves and fibers in gradients combinations. More colors coming...back to the dyepot!!!

Tropical Weight Nuno Scarves

2010-06-05T17:49:00.008-05:00

I knew I had to have these modeled so you could see the beauty. Focus is on how the silk scarf crinkles in the wool circles and the organic look of silk/merino dreadlocks. This collection is best worn pinned at the shoulder...what a super easy way to dress up a plain tank top for the evening.
Click on title to see them in my 1000 Markets Shop!

They look ok hanging on the clothesline...

Once modeled, you can see how they dress up Stephanie's plain black tank top.

Wave One of Tropical Weight nun Nuno's Done!!!

2010-05-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

Sheer chiffon scarves accented with merino wool and silk in monochromatic tones. Very lightweight and they look great over a t-shirt!!! I'll be listing then in my 1000 Markets Shop.

Hand carded fiber batts for Wave 2...Gradient color designs!!!

YEA!!! I made it back to Quiet Waters....

2010-05-23T14:27:00.001-05:00

This time will be in booth 1 in the Blue Heron Room!!! I'm so excited!!!!

Sneak Peak...Tropical Weight Nuno Scarves

2010-05-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

Using chiffon silk as the backdrop circles and swirls of handcarded merino with bits of silk, angora and angelia. Very lightweight and looks great over a plain t-shirt.

Yarn to Dye for....

2010-05-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

Wave 2 of my 2010 line of handknit hats out of my handdyed, handspun 100% super soft merino. The 1st wave was the unisex rib knit watch cap. These yummy yarns will be knit up into a skull caps.

No Duck Tape Allowed!!!

2010-05-07T08:35:00.008-05:00

I'm starting on my new hats...constructed design. One of the hardest things was to figure out a way to make a stiff brim out of anything other than duck tape and cardboard. I created a 5 layer laminate which is water resistant, soft, will hold it's shape and it's crush resistant.

Fiber layout for hat fabric. This one consists of natural corridale wool with silk, merino and camel hair on the top layer.

It wasn't just fiber I hauled away from the Festival!

2010-05-02T22:21:00.004-05:00

And my adventures with my sister this weekend!!!

I took home a second place ribbon for the candle cozy!!!! What a rush. The competition was out of this world. I was awed and inspired by all the other beautiful work in that room. So yea...it was a happy day at the festival for me after that!

"Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival" http://www.sheepandwool.org/

My support group....Lelia, me, Glynnis, Patty Faridah and Jamie.

My Haul....ok....this one of for my fiber buddies to oggle over...Tan Shetland, Grey Lincoln, Dk Brown Jacob, mixed wool bags, natural and chocolate merino, camel hair and down, Tussan silk, bombyx silk, silk hankies and silk caps....gonna have fun dying these and blending them.

On Sunday we went show hopping. 1st stop was National Harbor. Awesome show, awesome venue. You can actually bring the hubby and dump him at one of the several bars they have around the Harbor.

How awesome is this...a Peeps store!!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/elisecmiller/SheepWoolWeekend# Links to rest of the pictures from the weekend.
We also went to the 1st Sunday Art Festival in Annapolis. If all that stuff is handmade....I'd really be surprised. Looked like a mix of retail and craft and some music. I'd rate it..ok to add on to a day in Annapolis shopping and bar hopping. National Harbor show was by far a superior show. Watch for it next year, and alot of the artisan there will be at another new show in June at the Naval Academy. See links below.

Event Links
http://www.paragonartevents.com/ Washington International Fine Arts Festival at National Harbor.

http://www.goweststreet.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=28 First Sunday Arts Festivals, West Street, Annapolis.

www.annapolisartsandcraftsfestival.com/index.html The new Annapolis Arts and Crafts Fair June 11-12.

The Duvet is Finished

2010-04-25T13:13:00.001-05:00

All about comfort here. I hate duvet's that are made with super heavy fabric that weigh down the down comforter. I used a king sheet set that was a sweet score at Ross. The fabric was blue on one side, tan on the other and the top of the sheet had a nice pattern. I cut 12" off the top of the sheet to use a a "buttonhole bar", cut the rest of the fabric in strips and used a dark brown fabric for the edge trim. The buttons were from my "stash". (Why buy buttons if you have a box of really cool ones?) And yes I did make the headboard quite a while ago. When we remodeled the bedroom./bathroom I decided to recover it and the one thing that is just awesome is the pocket for the remote.

Also...if you haven't voted for what scarf I'm wearing to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, you only have 5 DAYS left!!! Come on and humor me!!! I'm hoping besides the contest to have some other special news that weekend!!!

Facebook Fans Contest!!!

2010-04-16T20:10:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone. The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is on Saturday/Sunday May 1st and 2nd. I will be shamelessly promoting Truly Unique by Elise by wearing one of my new nunofelt designs and handing out cards with my blog link in the hopes to increase my fan base. (Obviously I hate marketing and will only do this if approached).

So...I want to have some fun with my Facebook Fans and let them guess which scarf I will be wearing for this shameless promotion.

What's in it for you? I'm giving away a 3 pack of my wonderful felted soaps. It's shorts and cami season and what better soap for doing a little bit of exfoliation, and has all natural ingredients that don't dry out your skin. There’s nothing worse than an ashy haze on fresh shaved legs. Tell your friends to become fans and vote also. Who know's? If they win maybe they'll share the prize with you !!

So post your vote to the Fan Page Thread. I’m going to post this to Facebook Monday April 19th and the contest ends midnight on April 30th, 2010. Names of Fans that correctly pick the scarf will all be put in a hat and a name will be drawn. Good luck and thanks in advance for helping me increase my fan base!!!

Here's a peek at what I'm thinking about for my 2010 laminated line of scarves. (Click on picture to see all scarves)

1 Black Circles
2 Salmon Ruffle
3 Mardi Gras
4 Tranquil Waters
5 Denim Cowgirl

Just Playin'

2010-03-31T18:17:00.002-05:00

and making a few felt flowers because I feel like it :)

My 2010 Men's Collection is taking shape!!!

2010-03-28T14:18:00.003-05:00

Team inspired and bright colors for fun is the theme for my Fall 2010 Men's line of hats.

Hats can be found at http://www.1000markets.com/users/trulyuniquebyelise

The fingers behind most of these hats...My mom Dottie...84 years old, and clicking those sticks every day. I joke and say that I have a "senior sweat shop" , but Dottie does do most of the production knitting of all my lines. She's finishing up the ruffle edge candle holders and I've re-designed the vessel with a new top finish.

and finally my reluctant hat models...gotta love um :).....

Color Correction

2010-03-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

I'm one to waste not want not, especially when it comes to fiber. Sometimes a dye bath or paint job goes bad. One thing is that you can turn anything brown and that works for men's wear so that's the worst that can happen to an overdye job. It's perfectly ok with me because I prefer to use different shades of browns and blacks when I'm doing multiple yarn knitting projects. So here I am...fessing up on how I corrected some ugly colors....

Here are the uglies.
I overdyed the greenish yarn olive...

The pink/orange got a bath of royal blue

The blue/brown hat got a wash of golden ochre, then a rinse in chartreause

The brown hat had some white specks that I didn't like, so I colorwashed the hat in a bath of burnt orange.

The Results

The olive wash came out perfect...

The royal wash solved some of the problems but I feel I should have purple washed it because I don't like the blue. May purple wash it later..turn the blues purple and the greens brown...that would be better

Fun with this hat!!!...I love the outcome!!!

Finally the burnt orange just added that little halo of color to the hat and took care of the white spots.

Playing with new ideas in my head....

2010-03-23T18:11:00.001-05:00

And POWER....yea....the cordless sander for starting the felting process is awesome....I'm carding some merino with silk, angelina, angora, mohair....whatever will give me the texture I want...these are still a bit larger than I wanted them to end up so a bit smaller on the next batch of them.

Man head needs a paint job....

2010-03-17T19:42:00.000-05:00

Finally got the man head for displaying my men's hats. Good old styrofoam...lightweight to carry to a show but seriously...can they do better with the colors....so...he's in the paint shop now...debut soon....

The Wall Art is FINALLY Done!!!!

2010-03-01T11:07:00.000-05:00

Yea!!!...I'm pretty pleased with the results for my 1st attempt at acrylic with glazes. Now...back to fiber art and oh...yea....that duvet cover I want to make.

Sneak Peak of New Felted Vessels

2010-02-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

Ok..the wait is over on my texture teaser from January. I've finally got a few of my new felted vessels finished and more are coming in different color stories. Yankee Candle cozies, perfect for the large jars and funky spiked desk pencil holders. Or you can use them to hold and hide anything.

Available now at my 1000 Markets Shop.

http://www.1000markets.com/users/trulyuniquebyelise

Still working on the details....

2010-02-19T17:11:00.001-05:00

More work done on the wall art...

2010-02-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

background is pretty much done....now the detail work....that's gonna take some time....

Taking a break from fiber...

2010-02-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

in order to get the wall paintings done for the family room....I'm actually having fun with this....pictures for inspiration are from our 'bama trips...

the layout pics

first layers of paint...

more layers of color...