Fabric Fans

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• 1/2 yard of fabric for each fan
• Wood craft sticks
• One package of 6-strand, 8m embroidery floss for each fabric fan
• Various beads
• 2" sterling silver-plated eye pins
• Fabric scissors
• Clay needle tool
• Round nose plier
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Fabric stiffener or clear starch
• Iron
• Wax paper
• Fabric fusion

DIRECTIONS:

1. PREP: cut a 13.5"x 9" piece of fabric. Following the instructions on the label, apply the fabric stiffener or clear starch and iron the fabric on both sides.
2. Measure and make light pencil marks on eight craft sticks, 1" from the bottom, adding a center mark horizontally. Use a clay needle tool or other very small punch tools to "drill" a small hole in each craft stick. Holes should be just large enough to accommodate the width of the eye pin. Use a twisting motion rather than a punching motion when making the holes (punching with force may split the wood craft sticks).
3. To make the armature, insert a 2" eye pin through the holes of eight craft sticks. Pencil marks on the craft sticks facing you and the loop of the eye pin facing away.
4. Print and cut out the fan pattern provided. Place starched and ironed fabric facedown and temporally tack the provided fan pattern to the backside of the fabric with tape. Trace the fan shape and add notch marks to indicate the position of the craft sticks for the next step. Remove pattern and cut out the 9.5"x 5" fan shape.
5. With the fabric still facedown, fan out the eight craft sticks of the armature to align with the notch marks on the back of the fabric. Align the top of the craft sticks with the top of the fabric. Use fabric fusion to glue each craft stick to the fabric, starting with the bottom craft stick and working from right to left of the fabric. Allow to dry. Fold and glue the "fold areas" of each side.
6. Starting on either side of the fan, gently collapse pairs of craft sticks together, tucking and creasing the fabric between each pair as you go. Fold these areas towards the back of the fan.
7. Make a small tassel attached to the eye pin loop on the front of the fan. Add small beads. Use the cutter in your round nose pliers to cut the excess wire from the eye pin. Leave enough wire to curl the remaining sharp edge with the round nose pliers.

JOANN HACKS:

• Protect your iron and ironing surface by using wax paper when using fabric stiffener or clear starch.
• When "drilling" a hole in thinner craft sticks, a slow twisting motion is best. Start the hole on one side and turn the craft stick over to open the hole more.
• A small bit of glue can seal any slits in the craft sticks made when drilling holes.
• Hold the fabric and overlaid pattern up to a window to see the design of your fan before you cut.