Before you purchase the pattern read this page, if you already have read it, click here for the cart button page. I do not sell the matching sticks to the pattern anymore (I lost my source for the good quality ones without leaves I used to sell).
As I do not sell the sticks for the pattern anymore, I’m suggesting and have done so myself, that you remove the lace leaf from a set of bamboo sticks like these.
The first step is to carefully remove the lace from the guards. Those are the two outer members. Some of the newer sticks use hot glue so if you use your iron with a piece of paper between the guard and you iron you heat it up it will pull off much easier.
These fan have the front Battenburg lace layer and a shear organza layer that is sewn together just around the ribs. Sometimes it crosses into the bamboo, pay special attention to remove any of this cross over stitching with a seam ripper.
Then cut the remaining sections apart. So you can eight pull or slip them off the stick.
I usually do this one by one across the fan. If there are any threads left behind you can sand that off later.
Ready for sanding.
I do thing the new cheep sticks work but the old style are much better if you can find them.
Natural ones are old style and the black ones are new.
An old style set with the lace removed. Several things make them better. One thing is the width of the guard. The second thing is that the upper ribs are thinner the the lower part which makes room for the thickness of the leaf. And last thing is the quality of the bamboo is better.
So you can choose the old style from the new. This is the new style. The lower ribs get thinner and thicker.
This is what the rivet looks like.
The new ones say they are 100% polyester. I think the lace is still cotton but the backing organza is poly. As you can see this pair was stitched right down the rib. That does not mean that you can’t use it but it does mean it will have needle holes in it and it is likely to split.
Here is a full view of two new style and one old. The two on the left are new and the one on the right is old. I would look for old style everyday.
There are lots of things you can do with a set of bamboo sticks to fancy them up. The guards on the set on the left have been painted with enamel paint.
The ones on the right have been drilled with small holes to make a pattern and the end cut to match the scallop of the fan leaf.
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