Behind the Scenes: Making Fan-cy
Added 2021-11-30 15:52:00 +0000 UTCA few months ago, my dear friend Vivienne Vermuth went into semi-retirement in the world of burlesque. She gifted me with a set of fans that needed a little TLC. The color is good for me, and she knew I'd take care of them.
The feathers need a good steaming, but that will happen last. There was a broken acrylic stave so I have to rebuild them.
This is the underside of one of the old acrylic fan staves. It's V-shaped with each stave holding 5 feathers: 2 coral and 3 mint green. The staves are lovely but one of them broke. It's only a matter of time before the others break because of how they're made.
I ordered some fancy powder-coated metal staves from Donna Touch a couple weeks ago. Metal staves are a little more expensive, but they're also a bit lighter yet more durable. She'd already designed a 3-prong stave that would do the trick. They arrived right before Thanksgiving. I love the color.
Here's the underside of a completed stave. I hate using wire to attach feathers, but I don't want to use thick thread and secure it with glue. I'm knocking out a stave a day (when there's no hockey) since I don't have a performance on the agenda for these yet.
Once I've finished adding feathers to the staves, I have to bolt them together, string them so they stay open perfectly, steam the feathers, and buy a proper storage case for them. I can't wait to have them reach their full feathery potential.
