Research
ARTEFACT PROPOSAL
Initial Sketches/ Ideas
PROCESS
For my Skills Passport artefact I settled on making a 1920s flapper headband, particularly inspired by the one Daisy Buchanan wears in the Great Gatsby. On hers I loved the intricate design and the way it sparkled. After some debating I decided to make mine out of wire and beading. Wiring was something new for me that I wanted to have a go at- and beading is a technique I have done a lot of over the past few years. I also wanted t add in a brand new technique and the one I chose for this was laser cutting. This was a challenge because I have never used Adobe Illustrator before.
The first step was testing out what to do with the wire. On its own it wasn't very malleable so I decided to plait it which made it thicker and stronger, and was also aesthetically pleasing. This was quite challenging and fiddly but the outcome was worth it. I decided to do two of these plaits so that I would be able put something in between them.
This part was especially fiddly- tying beads in between the two plaits. I swapped between clear and white beads. To do this I used clear elastic which ties really easily and is basically invisible. I continued this the whole way along the headband.
Next I added some more wire around the plaits to strengthen the design and keep the two plaits parallel. This kept it all in place really well and would make it better fitting around a head.
I then went to photoshop to design the main piece which would attach to the wired headband. Using the shape tool and rulers allowed me to get all the squares the same size and in line. I then traced around it in illustrator and sent it to the laser cutter to be cut into board. This came out really well.
Using the same elastic as before I tied some fancier beads in between the gaps of the diamond shape. There is three colours, light green, blue and purple. I knotted around them so that they wouldn't move.
This is the piece with all the squares filled with a bead. I was really happy with how it turned out and especially love the colour combination.
My initial idea was to add a diamante effect on the main piece. I deliberated using beads again, or glitter, but I wanted it to have a raised effect, so I decided to use glass. To do this safely, I smashed a bottle in a strong bag, and then used a colander to split the small bits from the large bits.
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I tried using several glues for this but they weren't strong enough or would fall off of the cutting. I ended up finding something called 'dimensional glue' which was thick and didn't run, and added an extra level to the board. It has also kept a really strong hold on the glass so none of it is falling off.
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These are the final pictures of the main piece. The glass added a sparkly effect and also made it raised making me very happy with the outcome. It also adds a nice contrast to the colour of the beads.
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Next I added ribbon to the band, either end, so that it would tie behind someones head easily. I had left a bit of wire on purpose which meant I could wrap ribbon around it and stick it down. This worked best with hot glue. Using wire I then attached the piece to the headband. Wire worked so perfectly for this as I could wrap it exactly where I needed it and it held really strongly.
This is the completed headband, with the main piece attached and it being ready to fit around someones head. I'm really happy with the outcome it's quite elegant and pretty. My favourite part is the coloured beads in the gaps of the squares.
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