First attempt:
We started by trying to make a conventional bubble machine. We took the cage off of a small desk fan and attached the bubble wands to it. Then we turned the fan on and tried to have the wands move through bubble liquid as it moved. The fan moved but no bubbles were made. Further research showed that bubble machines have a motor spinning the wands and a fan behind them to make the bubbles. As it is winter we were unable to buy a second fan. We collectively decided to try again with the idea that we could act as the fan.
Second attempt:
We ended up scraping the fan and going bigger with the idea. First we placed a wooden pole through a crab trap and hung it over the edge of a box that was filled with soapy water. Then one person could spin the crab trap to create bubbles, while another person used a leaf blower to propel the bubbles into the air. Once we tested this idea we added the ink and paint to get colorful bubbles.
I really like that we kept going with the idea and were able to keep the idea of the bubbles. I especially like the idea of making it from scratch instead of the fan. It feels more authentic because we made it with our own hands.
Going forward I would like to find a way for the machine to turn itself. I think we could do more with the fabric t-shirts if it only takes one person to operate the leaf blower.