Homemade fans, the kind used by hand to fan oneself or simply add an element of drama to an outfit, can be made from a variety of items. One idea is to craft a feather fan out of bright and colorful peacock feathers. Making a fan involves working gently with the peacock feathers, helping to keep the unique natural patterns of the feathers intact.
Things You'll Need:
Things You Will Need
Cut the piece of wood into a fan shape. This wood will provide a base for the fan. Make the height of the wooden fan base only as tall as the pointed portion of the peacock feathers. The top of the feathers must hang over the top of the wooden fan base.
Cut the top off the wooden handled utensil using a hand saw. Use wood glue to attach the handle to the piece of wood. This creates the entire base of the fan, which will hold the peacock feathers.
Determine the size of your fan from end to end. Line up all the peacock feathers, pointed end grouped together, to gauge how many feathers you need to create the fan. Inspect the front and back of all the feathers to check for holes or gaps. Use the feathers with the most color and fullness.
Glue peacock feather by using a small strip of multipurpose glue along the main stem or vein of each feather. Press lightly to the wood base, making sure the pointed end of each feather rests on top of the glued-on handle. Repeat until all feathers have been glued on.
Wrap wire or string around the handle of the fan to tie down the ends of all feathers and further secure them to the fan. Trim off excess wire or string once all feathers have been secured.
Inspect the front of the fan and use small drops of glue to secure feathers to one another if too much of the wood base is showing through.
Warnings:
- Use caution when handling the pointed ends of peacock feathers as the points can be sharp and puncture the skin.