Today I got my act together and started evaluating what I need to get done. I wrote down all the things I’d started and began working on bits that I could. One of the reasons for having a few bits, if not all bits on the go at the same time is that certain techniques take time and can’t be done straight away so it means I can flit from one to another without wasting time.
The piece above is the medal in the bottle. This has actually changed from the original design idea of creating a bottle shape, again to the container. It always seems to come back to items being container and this is what this is. I wanted to create a leather frame around each side so the silicone is encased inside it. I cut a template and then used this to make it in leather. Then soaked the leather in hot water before moulding it into place round the object and wrapping in cling film to hold it in the right place until dry. I’m not sure I got it completely right but practicing the technique was useful. It was calm and I felt like the time was going slow enough to enjoy the process.
I spent a bit of time working with the Airforce file for one of the participants ‘Karen’. Her mother kept this whilst training for the WAAF in the 1940s. She used to carry a Bayswater style bag and so I am hoping to make a leather bag wither with this print of the notebooks on the outside of the leather or on the lining …. still thinking and may ask the participant as an element of co-production.
Playing with some smaller bits of leather I wanted to work out how I could attach small D rings to the leather strap that makes up part of the harness for the rolling pin. I tried a technique that I haven’t used before making a letterbox and threading the leather through and gluing the straps on the underside. It felt satisfying to be experiementing and learning techniques I hadn’t used before.
I also started drawing up the frames for the brass shoes and watch and will work on these on Monday. I hope to do more making over the weekend as beginning to remember how much I enjoy being a maker!
A Matter of Artefact 