Make! Hand-fans

Hand-held fans offer a practical way to cool down when the weather gets warm. This hand fan is from Nigeria, a country in the Africa continent. It is made of hide and has a pattern of black triangles around the rim. Make your own fan inspired by its design.

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Horniman Museum and Gardens

an image of make a hand fan inspired by the design of a nigarian fan in the museum's collection

Make! Hand-fan

Hand held fans offer a practical way to cool down when the weather gets warm. This hand fan is from Nigeria, a country in the Africa continent. It is made of hide and has a pattern of black triangles around the rim. Make your own fan inspired by its design.

craft supplies laid out on top of a white surface

You will need

Scissors Tape String PVA glue Peg Ruler Black/brown colouring pencils Pencil 2 lolly sticks Brown paper

a pair of scissors and ruler on top of brown paper

Step 1.

Measure two identical pieces of brown paper 9cm x 30cm and cut them out.

a folded piece of brown paper sitting on top of a white wall

Step 2.

Using your lolly stick as a width guide, concertina each sheet of paper.

scissors, book pages and other crafting supplies on a white surface with some cut out paper

Step 3.

Once both sheets have been concertinaed, trim the top and bottom straight. Make sure that both are the same length. You can use the peg to hold them together if needed.

two strips of brown paper next to a pencil and ruler on a white surface with stripes

Step 4.

Flatten both sheets ready for the design. Using a ruler, draw a line with the black pencil about half a centimetre wide down one long end on both sheets of paper and colour in.

two pieces of cardboard are next to a ruler with a pencil on top of it

Step 5.

Draw triangles on every other pair of folds and colour in. Use a ruler as a guide to make them all the same width.

a piece of cardboard with a tube of glue on it

Step 6.

Glue the ends of the two sheets together and leave to dry.

Step 7.

Colour in the lolly sticks with the brown colouring pencil.

a pair of scissors, measuring tape and thread

Step 8

Cut three pieces of string about 30cm long.

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Step 9.

Wrap a piece of string around the end of each lolly stick, fasten it with a knot and then glue it down. Tie off the ends as a loop and cut off the excess string

Step 10.

Concertina the paper again and tape under and around the end that is not decorated.

an old wooden fan with string attached to it on a white tablecloth covered surface

Step 11.

Glue the lolly sticks onto the end folds of each side.

a pair of wooden clothes pins on top of white paper

Step 12.

Use a peg to hold the fan while drying. Alternatively, place it under a heavy book.

an origami fan next to a crayon and glue bottle on white paper

Step 13.

Glue, wrap and knot the last string just below the paper on one stick. This will become your way of tying the fan together if required. Leave to dry.