It’s been a scorcher of a week, hasn’t it? As the temperature climbed, I found myself pottering about my cozy craft corner, thinking of ways to keep cool while still being creative. My mind wandered back to when I was a little girl making simple paper fans.
That little spark of nostalgia led to this week’s special video make: A Whimsical Victorian-Inspired Paper Fan Embellishment.
For this project, I used a beautiful vintage daisy-print and rosebud paper (you know the ones I love!), loose strips of lace tucked inside every concertina fold.
I secured the base with a tiny bronze clip (from my secret stash!) and added a charm of a beautiful filigree butterfly with a ‘broken earring’ centre piece .
When making these, I kept thinking of the Victorian era and the historical ‘Language of the Fan’.
In that period, restrictive social rules meant flirtation wasn’t easy! So women developed a formalized social skill—a secret ‘sign language’ of the fan to communicate with suitors across a crowded ballroom.
It wasn’t always strictly followed, but fan-makers popularized some truly specific gestures, here’s just a few:
~Drawing the fan across the cheek: “I love you”
~Placing the handle to the lips:”Kiss me”
~Fanning slowly: “I am married”
~Dropping the fan: “We will be friends”
~Placing the fan on the left ear: “I wish to get rid of you”
Isn’t that wonderful? To make an embellishment that has a secret, playful historical life!
Pour a warm cup of tea (or maybe something a bit cooler this week!), and let’s get nostalgic.
With love,
Louise x
Vintage Norah 