Tasty Nibble #18 - We has a fan!

I spent yesterday carving the stick for my flag fan and putting it together.

I started with a 3/8" x 48" dowel from my local hardware store. For strength and contrast I picked the heavyest and darkest dowel they had. I don't know what kind of wood it is but I'm sure it's not pine.

I was inspired by various pictures to try a flag fan with a loooong stick. I was thinking somthing around 2 1/2' - 3' but my dowel had a bend in it so I cut it just above the bend and ended up with a 29 3/4" for this fan and a remainder piece just long enough for another fan. (I think I may try my hand at a round fan too.)

So, carving:

I couldn't find my file or carving tools so I abandoned the idea of a turning lathe for this fan and went with simple carving using the tools I had on hand. I used a coping saw to saw the dowel to length, to saw shallow channels for the wire which forms the frame of the fan, and to saw shallow channels at the top and bottom of the ball ornaments I was going to carve. I then used a 1" chisel to shape the wood and an emery board to smooth the finished work. (I told you they were simple tools!) I then heated a small amount of olive oil and rubbed it into the wood to deepen the color and add a slight gleam.

If I hadn't decided to add a tassel or two I'd be done. But since my theory of late period costume can be summed up as 'Add More Ornamentation!'...tassels are next.

Tasty nibble #17 -Idle Hands Flag Fan in progress

I decided to make a third attempt at making the netting base for my fan and it turned out considerably more evenly than the previous version. I stretched it out in a frame I jury-rigged from some wire and stitched up the lacis pattern.

Woo hoo! It's my first piece and I think it came out just lovely.

To convert the Lacis piece onto a fan I've made a 4" x7" (finished dimensions) frame of wire and covered it with the same thread I used for the lace. I basically covered the frame with buttonhole stitching with the ridge of the loops running on the outside of the frame and then stitched a second set of buttonhole stitches around the frame between the stitches of the first set, this time with the loops running on the inside of the frame.


I used a very simple faggoting stitch to attach the lace to the inner edge of the covered frame--see all the pretty little holes? I am currently working a pointed lace edging around the outer edge of the frame.

The next phase will be to prepare my stick and attach the fan!

Uh Oh...

I just made an update to my "What holds breasts up" page and poof! another chunk of text dissapeared! I'm hoping it is a Blogger issue and they will fix it...

Tasty Nibble #16 - Idle Hands Feather fan - WIP

There's still another layer of feathers to come!

As usual, I'm also posting construction details on the "What Holds Breasts Up?" page.

Better Late than Never

I have finally got some Pennsic pictures to post.

This is of me, all dressed up and ready for the Red and White Ball.

And this is my Boen.

Now I'm remembering what's so hard about moving...

Getting settled in enough to find all my stuff and get back to work!

I finally started unpacking my SCA boxes today. Found the red silk I may use for my IRCC overdress and a lot of clothes in need of a post-pennsic washing. Sigh. We're renting an apartment for our first year in Indiana and the new place doesn't have a washer/dryer in the unit. Bigger sigh. I've unpacked 4 *huge* tubs of SCA stuff but have yet to find my red brocade which I will probably use for the IRCC overdress. I don't want the silk to win out by default so I'll perserve with the unpacking but I looked at the Realm of Venus today and discovered Bella is sponsering a Mini Challenge (only a month long) focusing on items held in the hand. Hmmmm....

I'd been planning on making a second fan any way so this may be just the thing to get me back to work...

Since I'm going to think of this fan as another piece of the IRCC outfit I'll probably use the 'What Hold's Breasts Up?' page to chronicle my progress...fingers crossed this gets me jumpstarted!

We have internet!

At last.

I'll be back to work on both my pavillion and IRCC out fit soon. (Like later this week, I hope.)

I can hardly wait to get restarted but first I have to -- de de de Daaahhhhhh -- catch up with my e-mail. Eeep!