Colourful Welcome Home Fan

Despite my previous post saying that current fashions in craft aren't important(!) I do like to know what is 'in' and 'out' in the crafting world.  I love going in Paperchase and looking at all the current ranges in stickers, greetings cards and general paper paraphernalia.  I also love looking at the Print&Pattern  blog about current patterns on wallpaper, crockery, stationery and fabrics.

Today when I was in town I went past 'Next' shop and in their window they've got some massive cardboard circular fans with advertising on them and they looked really effective.  I saw a blog today (can't remember which one) that had a scrapbooking page with another circular fan as its background, that also looked impressive.  Luckily, when I was hunting out my craft today I found a guide on how to make my own one in an old papercrafting book.

This is the one I made:

I decided to make mine into a 'Welcome Home' fan for the front door for my husband who is returning from six weeks in China for Half Term.  He will be returning to China afterwards (Bah!) but that's unfortunately where his work is... (with any luck he'll find something here soon!)  Anyway, I digress...

This is the book I got the instructions from:

It's actually published in 1991 but looks as though its from 1971!  Another charity shop find ages ago. 
The pages are all 'handwritten' with drawings, like this:

Basically, all you do is make lots of separate paper fans on square paper (each of mine was 16cm sq), staple them together at one end and glue (or staple) each of the end folds together. I put a punched scallop circle in the middle and cut out a circle for the inside of the scallop  (Can't wait to get my circle gismo from QVC - no more wonky circle cutting for me! lol)  I handwrote the stitches & details  and will be hanging the fan on the front door in time for my husband's return on Sunday.

If I do another one some time I would probably do more subtle colours, maybe all one colour, this was just me trying out the technique really. 

If its in the Next window, I reckon its up to the minute fashion,  and so for the very first time in my life I'm in fashion! lol