Project: silk folding fans for Amadeus

[labricoleuse]

Remember a while back when i conducted the poll on crossover items, sometimes the responsibility of props and sometimes costumes? I'm doing some silk fans for our upcoming production of Amadeus and i've just finished my prototype.



Left: bamboo fan minus its leaf (that semi-circular section of either fabric or paper on a fan)
Top right: carefully-removed paper fan leaf
Bottom right: paper pattern for fan leaves, generated from the above

I got a bunch of cheap bamboo fans to experiment with and gutted one, as you see above, to take a pattern for my fabric leaf. The fabric leaves will be made with two layers of fabric--either two layers of the chosen fabric if it is thin enough, or a layer of the fashion fabric and a layer of organza. Channels will be stitched in the organza for the fan's sticks (or staves) to slide down in, and the leaf will be adhered to the guards alone ("guards" are the two wider sticks at the front and back of the fan).


Embroidered silk taffeta flatlined to organza, with fan leaf traced out as desired.


Detail of stitching lines.


Sewing the channels for the fan.


Completed fan. Top and bottom edges are pinked to minimize bulk when folded.
(Check out my scalloped edge there where the leaf attaches to the guard!)

Next, i'm going to look around for a more ornamental, durable base fan (staves and guards); i don't know that this bamboo frame i've used for the prototype will be what we want for the "real deal"--we'll see!


Here are some other good links on the subject of folding fans:

Instructions for fan assembly using adhesive.

Powerhouse Museum of Sydney, Australia, maintains an online archive of fans in their collection.

An article on the Fan Museum in Britain.

Another discussion of folding-fan making.

A short history of fans.

Instructions on how to make 3 types of 16th-century fans.

Making a folding fan from scratch

Tatting pattern for a lacy fan leaf

Kits for making large feather fans (of the showgirl/burlesque performer variety).

Comments

[thedamenoir.livejournal.com]

I recently made a prot-o-type fan of silk as well, and I have to say that I feel the same way about the bamboo staves. If you find an alternative, please post about it because I was severely disenchanted. I have seen much more sturdy staves on pre-existing fans but have yet to find a supplier.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

This is the first of a few different prototypes, so maybe one of the next few i'll be more excited about. I'll be posting about all of them, and i'll be glad to share sources on whatever we wind up going with!

[thedamenoir.livejournal.com]

wonderful! you are so helpful! :)

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

After you inserted the staves into the channels, how did you secure the top and bottom? Hand stitching? Glue?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

I didn't secure them, other than on the guards--the shape of the leaf prevents it from wanting to slide off. It'd take some doing (like, tug-of-war style) to get the leaf off the staves. If you had a particularly slippery fabric for your leaf, maybe you'd want to poke some holes in the staves and tack them or run a thread through, but for these, they feel sturdy enough with just the ends secured.

[uber-wench.livejournal.com]

I've reconstructed Tai Chi fans for use in dancing--they're bamboo, but they're large and sturdy. There are lots of places that retail and wholesale, both on the regular internet stores and ebay.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

I looked at Tai Chi fans, but the ones i found were too large scale-wise for what we're wanting. (These are supposed to be little dainty fans for 18th-century socialites.) I do have a few more prototypes to do with other types of fans--another bamboo, a carved wood, a couple plastic--which i'll be writing up as well though! I think some of those will be more what the designer wants, in terms of stave and guard shapes/sizes...

[tessalinah.livejournal.com]

ooooh! nice work! i have tried to reconstruct a fan but it didn't work so well for me.

be well,
tessalina

[trystbat.livejournal.com]

Looks fabulous!

[jennylafleur.livejournal.com]

Oh very cool - thanks!

Orders?

[(Anonymous)]

Great fans! Wish I could make them for my wedding. Do you offer to make them for sale? I'm looking to make 3 of them. My email: jenwindy at hotmail dot com

Re: Orders?

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

Sorry, i don't make fans for sale; perhaps you could find a local seamstress who'd be willing to give it a shot with these directions?

Good luck, and congratulations on the wedding!

Feather Fans

[babsnoir.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Do you have any suggestions on making ostrich feather fans and or peacock feather fans? I am unsure how to go about making one becasue I do not think they will be able to close if I use feathers? Do you have any suggestions?

Re: Feather Fans

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

For an ostrich one, the easiest thing i think is probably to buy the kit offered here:

http://www.ostrich.com/shop/cat?cmd=fan-index

And, for a peacock one, probably the fan base that they sell with that kit is a good option, since it's got to be made to hold the shafts of the feathers and still be strung such that it'll fold up.

Good luck!