Material Research:
One issue with my project that I have encountered on a weekly basis was the messiness and unreliability of the strings that I was using. As mentioned in previous entries, it’s difficult to control the direction and height of these strings without resorting to cutting up small pieces and sticking them back together. So, I decided to dedicate this lesson towards experimenting with strings to see if I’m able to come up with a better alternative to what I’m using now.
Before class, I bought a full bag of white felting wool based on Jo’s previous suggestions. This was purchased from the Creative Arts block at the main campus, and there was a surprising amount of wool that was available for a very small price. I also bought sewing thread and shirring elastic from The Dollar King at Stockland Shellharbour. These materials were sold at a cheap price and I acquired several packages in differing shades so I had plenty of materials to work with.
The first thing I did during the lesson was felt the white wool so I had something to hang up on the roof. It gave the same hardened effect that the grey wool had produced, and it was a quick and easy procedure overall.
After I finished felting my tiny little cloud, I decided to work with the shirring elastic to see if I could tie it up onto the roof. It was a thick substance that was easy to maintain control over, and I was able to tie several knots together without encountering any major problems along the way. It’s very likely that I will be using this string in my final project.
On the other hand, the sewing thread was rather difficult to work with because the material was thin and tricky to grasp control over. It was hard to tie a single knot using this string as it kept slipping out of my fingers. Because of the lack of control I had over this string, it’s unlikely that I will be using it in future iterations.
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