Make FAN-tastic & Durable Folding Fans for All Occasions!

In this video, I demonstrate how I make beautiful and functional folding fans for historical reproductions, theatrical use, costumed events, and many other purposes! Learn how to design and make your own hand fans.
LINKS:
Steampunk Clock Fan fabric: www.spoonflower.com/en/fabric...
Rose Window Fan fabric: www.spoonflower.com/en/fabric...
Each of these take a fat quarter of crepe de chine.
The fans with plastic frames used in this video can be bought in novelty and party stores for cheaper, but you can even find them through WalMart for under $15:
www.walmart.com/ip/Datingday-...
If you live in a city with a Chinatown district, import stores there usually have the widest variety of colors/styles.
#foldingfans #costube #historialcostume

[@theplussizecostumer]

Awesome! I never thought about the inexpensive fans. Great idea.

[@LaBricoleuse]

Glad it was helpful!

[@thimovijfschaft3271]

I love to incorporate 1 or 2 fans into my dances at raves and stuff. Often it's almost theotraical improvesed choregraphy. And yeah I do use a lot of the descibed fan openimg and closing movements you desvribed the actors do. It is always the part holding the fan togther that gets looser and looser until it breaks, but the glue came loose 1 time too. It's either that or I have LED fans and the electronics break. So yeah I'm looking into making my own, fans that are durable, have my own design and perhapse a ring so I can twirl it around my finger as well. This video is a nice start for knowing what material to pick.

[@LaBricoleuse]

Glad it was helpful! Because of your extensive experience using fans in choreography, sounds like you're familiar with all the ways they fail and can troubleshoot how to improve when you make your own. Good luck!

[@AbiSueCostumes]

Thank you for this video! I've been wanting to edit a fan for a while 🥰

[@LaBricoleuse]

You’re welcome! Good luck with your fan project, they’re fun to work on.

[@AbiSueCostumes]

@@LaBricoleuse thank you! I'm excited to try

[@AddyBeanz]

this is such a great video! I'm repurposing a fan I found at a thrift store for a festival and it helped a lot!

[@LaBricoleuse]

I'm so glad it was helpful! I bet your fan turned out great!

[@nataliechim5227]

Such a great idea. I will file it away for future use. Thanks for the video.

[@LaBricoleuse]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fyre_crafted]

This is so cool!

[@LaBricoleuse]

Thank you!

[@GooJRLuver1]

Great video! I wonder if you have any solutions for reinforcing the pin that holds the staves together. In my experience that is where fans I've used have really come apart.

[@LaBricoleuse]

I empathize entirely with your comment. If you can find a large enough head pin, typically used for jewelry making, That can work well provided the shaft of the pin is a thick enough diameter. I have also made these with Millinery wire and created an eye loop at both ends. Then you can attach a ribbon for the wrist, or bend it at a right angle to finish the hinge. Does that make sense? It feels like maybe it would be helpful if I drew a diagram…

[@GooJRLuver1]

@@LaBricoleuse Absolutely makes sense and I appreciate it!

[@BipolarFrenzy619]

I’m excited to do this! I get these fans at the Dollar Tree. I was looking at my fan one day & came up with the idea to redo it myself with prettier fabric…I guess I’m not the first to think of it 🤷‍♀️ Btw, how would you iron the creases when starting with/new fabric?

[@LaBricoleuse]

Excellent question! I’ve done several fans like this and to press the creases sharp I worked carefully fold by fold using a piece of thin cardboard or cardstock to protect the plastic frame slats from the iron.

[@izanasato]

I’ve always wondered what type of fabric is used for these fans. I just bought regular cloth fabric from joann and I’m not sure if it’s ‘hard’ enough like normal fan fabric. Maybe I could put watered down PVA glue to harden the fabric up?

[@LaBricoleuse]

That might work! Or spray starch.

[@mistyvaughn6356]

Would it be ok to add fabric to the other side, for example if you wanted a different pattern (in a lightweight fabric) but within the same color scheme as the front, would that negatively impact the fan?

[@LaBricoleuse]

Great question! It probably depends on the thickness of the fabrics and whether the two layers will affect the smoothness of the frame folding/unfolding. It’s worth a try!

[@angelclstudioartgallery591]

Maybe you can help me I made a design in lace for a fan and when I tryed to put it on the wooden fans it didn't want to fold properly when placed on the frame can you advise me what I can do please

[@LaBricoleuse]

You may need to iron the folds into the lace. It can be tricky to do that because of the fan shape but I have made it work using a sleeve board and positioning the fan frame close to the edge. Good luck!

[@Muhammad-tp8sf]

Hello, i wonder what kind of glue do you use? I want to make an Ostrich feather fan

[@LaBricoleuse]

Will you also have a fabric lawyer to the fan like the one I’m making in this video? Or will you be attaching the feathers directly to the plastic/wood of the fan frame?

[@Muhammad-tp8sf]

@@LaBricoleuse i will attach the feathers directly to the plastic fan frame, no fabric layer

[@LaBricoleuse]

@@Muhammad-tp8sf A solvent based cement like E 6000 would be good, but it may be helpful to drill small holes in the fan frame staves and reinforce with stitching too.