I have created a total of 56 beads thus far in this class. Out of all the techniques, the ones I was most successful at and enjoyed the most were round beads using frits, swirl colors, and stringers to make dots and lines. Another factor I focused on was the size of the mandrel. Using steel wool, a bundle of strands of ery fine soft steel filaments, en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Steel_wool, I wrapped a mandrel tightly and covered it in sludge. This allows me to manipulate the size of the hole in the bead. I struggled making twisted cane and flat beads. The flat beads ended up being too thin and fragile and broke while being taken off the madrel. However, I improved dramatically at making round shaped beads. At first try, they came out uneven and the holes where the madrel was tended to have sharp, purtruding edges. After Heidi demonstrated how to perfect the round shape bead, mine quickly improved. By starting with a smaller bead as an even foundation, I could add a controlled layer of glass to melt it into a perfectly even, round shaped bead.

The techniques I am focusing on for my final projects include large, round beads that will possibly be shaped like a nest and fit into eachother like tupperware. There will be three large beads and four smaller beads that will represent the rest of the currency. The smaller beads will almost be "jewel like" compared to the three larger beads.