Fan Folly 2024 Part 1

 Fan Folly 2024 Part 1

My mother has lost her Fans so I have offered to have a go at making one.

Lolly Sticks

My idea was to use these Lolly Sticks as the Struts of the Fan. This would mean Drilling through them. You might think this Folly due to the chances of Splitting the Wood.

Garden Labels

Divine Inspiration! Whilst looking for something completely different I found a Garden Label. These already have Holes in them. I searched for the rest of them and gave them a wash.

Screw It

Next was to find something to go through the Holes. I have found a selection of Screws and Nuts. I have matched them up and have a variety of Lengths.

Add Struts

I begin to add the Struts. I am starting with the smallest of the Screws to see how many I can fit on to the Screw.

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 5

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 5

I managed to keep the Covers in place whilst Pinning the Hem

Two Hemmed Lolly Covers

I now have Two finished Hemmed Lolly Covers.

Lolly Covers Pinned

I Blanket Stitched the Two Covers together. I went nearly all the way to the Bottom. However I stopped about an inch or so before the End.

This was for 2 reasons. One was to make sure that there was enough room to Slip off the Cover. The other reason was I was unsure of the length of the material I was putting on the Bottom.

Black Lolly Bottom

The above photograph shows the length of Lolly Stick that I need to Cover with the Top Slip at full length.

Canvas Wrap Over

I Wrap the Canvas material over the Bottom of the Stick. I find I have enough to give good coverage.

Canvas Slip Cover

The first thing that I needed to do was Hem the material all the way around.

Slip Double Hemmed

After Hemming all the way around I double checked the material. I decided that on the Two Sides I would make a Double Hem. This is because this is where I would be adding the Press Studs.

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 2

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 2

The next part of the process after Trimming and Shaping the Foam is the Covering.

Found Black Material

I have found some Black Material which I think is long and wide enough to cover the Lolly Pop

Pinned Wrong Side

That is a good start. I was getting to my last Pin and I realised I had the Material upside down. I have had to take all the Pins out again and restart with the Material the right way around.

Pin Material

I Pinned the Material loosely around the Foam on one Side and around the Edges. I want to check if I do have enough Material.

I find that I do but not quite the right shape. This means that I have to adjust the Material when I come to Glue it.

Glue and Pin

I am using simple PVC Glue spread all over one side of the Foam. As you can see in the above photograph the Material has been pulled taut before Pinning.

Glue Drying

Now the Material needs to Dry before I can move on to the next stage.

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 1

A Comfy Candy Christmas 2019 Part 1

This blog deals with another of my bright ideas with a ridiculous time scale. In other words I got an idea for a Yule Present in November whilst I already had projects to finish.

Handy Outlines

First of all let me apologise for the quality of the above photograph. I have tried adjusting with filters and such like and this is the best I can get. Secondly I would like to thank the Major at the Sally Army for being such a good sport and literally lent me a pair of Hands to Draw around.

The reason I didn’t Draw around my own Hand is because it would have been too small and the Arm Length too short as the Present is for a Man.

Rough Cut Foam

I cut out the two pieces of Foam roughly with a Bread Knife. These will form the basis of my project. You might notice a difference between the pieces. This is not a reflection of my male model but a deliberate action on my cutting out.

Lolly Pop

This piece is vaguely Tree Shaped but after some more trimming it will be a Forearm Length Lolly Pop.

Candy Cane

C

This upside down Christmas Stocking is in fact going to be a Candy Cane. However I cannot Curve the Top completely as it will make it too small.

These two Large Christmas Foam items are going to be a pair of Arm Rests

Autumn Equinox Invocation 2019 Part 2

Autumn Equinox Invocation 2019 Part 2

Now that I had finished completing the Scales I could move on to the next item I need to make.

Ostrich Plume Drawn

The Goddess Maat was often depicted with a Feather. The Feather that she had was that of the Ostrich. Therefore I wanted to add an Ostrich Feather to my Ritual.

Since I do not exactly keep a stock of Ostrich Feathers handy I decided to draw one. The Feather depicted in Egyptian Murals is curved. I tried to capture this when I drew it on the Green Card. I used a Pencil to draw on the Card as I am not much of an artist.

Ostrich Plume Feathered

 

Once I had drawn the Feather and Cut it out I made small snips in the Card around the Plume and ruffled the edges. This was to give it a more realistic appearance.

The reason why I chose to use Green Card rather than an Ostrich Feather colour was simple. In ancient Egypt the Feather became associated with ‘Truth’. So when in court the Chief Priest (The Judge) and the other Priests drew the Ostrich Feather in Green on their tongues. This indicated that they were speaking the Truth.

Lolly Cut and Shaped

Now the Feather was completed I moved onto the next part. I took two Lolly Sticks. One of them I simply cut off the ends. The other Stick I trimmed to a point.

I have to confess that making the point was a real pain. The wood kept splintering and it took me a good half hour to get both sides even.

Sword

 

When I had my two pieces as I wanted them I bound them together with some Thread. The Sword was often used in Ancient Times as an emblem of Authority

Autumn Equinox Invocation 2019 Part 1

Autumn Equinox Invocation 2019 Part 1

This is going to be an unusual Blog. It is Monday 23^rd September 2019 the Autumn Equinox. I am going to perform an Invocation Ritual.

I am Invoking The Egyptian Goddess Maat. She is the Goddess of Truth and Balance. She is the Primary Deity that deals with Justice.

Selection of Tools

In order to do the Invocation I need several objects that are connected with the Goddess Maat and Justice. Since I do not have them to hand I will have to make them.

Slice the Cork

One object that is synonymous with Justice is that of Scales. In Egyptian Mythology in order to pass on to the afterlife a person’s Heart was placed on one side of the Scales and a Feather on the other. If the Heart was heavier than the Feather then there would be no admittance.

In order to make the Scales I first need a base. This was done by making a small slit in a Cork then carefully slicing it in half Lengthways.

Lolly in Cork

After making the Base I put another slit in the Cork then tease the Lolly Stick into the Base.

Horizontal Lolly in Slit

Now I have the Vertical Stick in place I make a small slit at the Top. I then slide the Horizontal Stick into place.

Green Circles

To make the Dishes I cut out a pair of Green Circles. Although I won’t be putting anything heavy on them like a Heart I decide to make them out of Card to make them stronger.

Sew Circle

With Needle and Thread I sew a Loop on to the Card. Being a little clumsy I inadvertently added a Blood Offering.

Sew Crosswise

I next added another Loop. I have also Folded the Edge of the Card all the way around. This is too make it more Dish Shaped.

Finished Scales

Finally I add the Loops onto the Horizontal Bar. It took a while for me to get them to Balance even with them empty.

I could now start making the other items for the Ritual.