A bad witch's blog: Upcycling Crafts: A Pretty Paper Hand Fan

Thursday, 16 July 2026

Upcycling Crafts: A Pretty Paper Hand Fan

Hand fans are the essential accessory in this summer's heatwave. I made the one in the picture by upcycling a pretty picture from an old calendar.

You need a square or oblong of paper that's at least 30cm wide and reasonably stiff. That's what my calendar was. A bit wider would probably be better. Ideally pick something that looks pretty to make you feel happier when you use it.

As well as paper, you need a ruler, scissors, string or yarn, and ideally an old-fashioned "dolly" type clothes peg for the handle. If you don't have a peg you could use two sticks - even upcycle a pair of ice lolly sticks.

Measure your paper and mark it evenly across the top and bottom at distances that are the same width as your peg or pair of sticks. For me, that was every 1.5cm. Fold the paper in concertina folds at each mark. I found it best to score an indentation from top to bottom using the ruler and blunt side of the scissors before doing the folding.

Put one end of the folded paper into the opening in the peg or sandwich it between two sticks. Bind the paper in place by wrapping yarn tightly around and tying it in place. This forms a good handle. Gently open out the top of the concertina'd paper a bit so you can then use it as a fan to cool down.

You could also place a fan at the eastern quarter of a ritual circle to represent the element of air, and use it to waft incense when doing magical cleansing.

You can find more ideas for seasonal makes in my book Pagan Portals - Rounding the Wheel of the Year, published by Moon Books.