DIY Burlesque - How To Make A Set Of Ostrich Fans!

Ostrich Fans are my favourite prop to perform with. I love the look of them, the feel of them and they just make me feel so sexy and desirable. To perform with they are so versatile and you can do so much with them but they also look elegant and just absolutely beautiful.

They are also one of the most expensive burlesque props you can buy ranging from £600 upwards for a really nice high quality set. Luckily for all our lovely burlesque ladies at Burlesque With Paris there are a few tricks of the trade that can help you bring the cost of your fan set down in price so your not spending a fortune if you want to own your own set of ostrich fans.

Here’s how you can make your very own set of ostrich fans without it costing a fortune.

Decide on what colour feathers your wanting to use. We recommend ebay as there are so many different colours available and you can buy them on there fairly cheap. You can also buy different feathers if you don’t want to use marabou feathers, like peacock and pheasant feathers and they come in lots of different colours. We sell the staves for £25 a set of x9 staves.

What You Will Need:

Pair Of X9 Staves
Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Marker Pen
Ruler
Scisors
8X Black Marabou Feathers 10cm - 15cm
32X Pink Ostrich Feathers 40cm - 45cm
Pink Embroidery Thread
2X A4 Laminated Clear Sheets
6X A4 Double Sided Sticky Sheets
Card Template

The card template I made was 7.5cm in width across the top, 4.5cm in width across the bottom and 13cm in length.

It is up to you if you use this template or if you want to use a rectangle template so it’s the same width across the top and bottom.

The key to making a set of ostrich fans is preparation. You will need to prepare all the different parts separately before you start to piece them all together to make your fan set.

How To:

You will need to cut 36 of your card template out of the A4 double-sided sticky sheets. If you draw round your template carefully you will be able to get 6 of your templates out of each sheet. Pic 1.
Out of your 2 laminated A4 sheets you need to measure and mark out with your marker pen your widths. One sheet cut strips that are the width of 7.5cm and the other sheet cut strips that are the width of 4.5cm. (If you're using a rectangle shape then your widths for both sheets will need to be 7.5cm) Your strips need to be approx 2cm in length. Pic 2.

Marabou Feather Shapes

Using your templates you cut out of your sticky sheets and your marabou feathers. Peel back one of the sides of your sticky sheets and press down the marabou feathers making sure you overhang all edges. Using the glue gun use small amounts of glue to ensure your feathers are stuck down. You should end up with your sticky sheet shapes looking like pic 3.

Turn over your marabou feathers and using your sticky shape paper as a guide cut off the overhang at the bottom edge in pic 4 so you have all of your marabou shapes looking like pic 5.

Now you are ready to start piecing your fans together….

Peel back the backing off of your marabou feather shape and using your plastic strips you have cut out, place a 7.5cm strips along the top edge of your marabou feather shape pressing down so it is stuck down. Place a 4.5cm strip at the bottom edge of your marabou shape pressing down so it is stuck down. Cut one of your 7.5cm strips down by about 1cm and place it in the middle of your marabou feather shape pressing down so it is stuck down. (Be careful as the sticky sheets can be fiddly to work with)
Using the glue gun put a spot of glue on all 3 plastic strips in the center of each strip. Where the X is in pic 6.
Using your first stave from one of your stave sets line it up so you are not covering the threading hole press it down firmly so it sticks to your marabou feather shape. Make sure the screw head is facing the top and the bolt is at the bottom.
Apply some glue from your glue gun onto the stave and stick 1 pink ostrich feather so it’s laid flat to the stave like in pic 7.
Peel back the backing off of a marabou feather shape and lining it up with the one that the stave is glued to and stick it over the top of your feather and stave like it is in pic 8.

Peel back the backing off another marabou feather shape and stick the 3 plastic strips in place like you have just done.

Using the glue gun put a spot of glue on all 3 plastic strips in the center of each strip like you have just done. Where the X is in pic 6.
Using your second stave from your stave set line it up so you are not covering the hole and line your marabou feather shapes together with the bottom corners and press your stave down firmly onto your glue spots so it is stuck to your marabou feather shape.
Apply some glue from your glue gun either side of the stave and stick 1 pink ostrich feather either side of the stave like in pic 9.
Peel back the backing off of a marabou feather shape and lining it up with the one that the stave and feathers are glued to, stick it over the top of your feathers and stave as you did with your first stave.
Repeat this 6 more times with the next 6 staves using 2 feathers on the marabou feather shapes.
On the last stave you use only 1 pink ostrich feather as you did on the first stave you started with and you have now got a completed fan-like in pic 10.
Repeat all of this with your next stave set making sure you line up the bottom corners of your marabou feather shape with your first stave and last stave of the fan you have just made. Make sure the ostrich feather height is also lined up with the fan you have just made. Make sure the screw head is facing the top and the bolt is at the bottom. Once you have finished your second fan you should have 2 fans that look like pic 11.

Threading Your Fans

Using the pink embroidery thread cut about 50cm in length and thread one end into a needle.
Turn your fans over so the bolt is now at the top and screw head is at the bottom. You will notice the tips of your ostrich feathers are curling inwards towards you.
Arrange your staves so one fan set has the top stave going in the direction of the left and the second fan set has the top stave going in the direction of the right. Pic 16.
On your first fan set push the needle through the hole on your first stave working your way from the bottom and tie a knot with the end of the embroidery thread like in pic 12.
Feed the needle back through the hole on your first stave like in pic 13 and then push the needle through the bottom of your staves through each hole till you have threaded all 9 staves like in pic 14.
Once you have threaded your last stave spread out the staves evenly so your black marabou feather shapes are slightly overlapping then tie a knot in the embroidery thread and cut off the access.
Repeat the threading process with your second fan.
Using your glue gun put a spot of glue over each hole on each stave on both sides of the stave, this is to hold your staves in place and stop them moving. Pic 15
You should have each of your fans with staves going in opposite directions like in pic 16.
You may want to label your staves left and right so you know which is which and so if you ever use them on stage the stage manager knows how to put them out. Pic 16. (I have labeled mine P7L and P7R you will just need to do L and R, you can do this with paper and sellotape or with a black marker pen)

Voila! you now have your very own ostrich fan set for you to start dancing with.

BURLESQUE PROPS-HOW TO, BWP NEWSTina Lockie9 March 2019