FITS AND STARTS: PILIPINAS HANDFAN

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

When I feel like I've had enough spending on various technology screens and would like to unwind, I always revert to creating personalised pieces. This is where my attention would be drawn more to gathering relevant stationery supplies, repurposed decorative rivets, and additional decorative accessories. 

Weeks ago, I started another analogue time project where I bravely transformed an old fan into an additional decorative wall piece. 

The above old fan was once something I kept and never bothered to pin on my “Wall of Fans”. I would say that I do not like it as it was too dull, uninspiring and lacked the vibrant spirit of my beloved birth country, Pilipinas. 

LEAF AND HORSE- DRAWN CARRIAGE 

I tore away the cloth from its guard and inner sticks (fan sticks) to give it a new lease of energy. Then, I cut out the only exciting image and embellished it with decorative buttons, upcycled stones, and painted tiny sticks. 

GUARD AND INNER STICKS (FAN STICKS) 

After removing the cloth (leaf), I was left with its original fan stick. I carefully pulled out, though it did damage in the process, its original pivot pin where I was left with loose individual sticks. Then, I painted each fan stick a few times with the colours available to me. Luckily, I had most of the colours, except the green, that depict the Philippine flag. 

PIVOT PIN AND HEAD 

When all the fan sticks were completely dry, I made a new pivot pin by straightening and twisting a paper clip. This served as a replacement where it holds fan sticks together at the base; it opened and closed smoothly. Then, spruced up its head with a heart button. 

WHITE COTTON STRING

 

I evenly connected each fan stick with strands of white cotton string as a replacement for its original cloth (the leaf). The strings hold the fan sticks together in a smooth arc when the fan opens. I also glued the string as it entwined around each fan stick, and embellished both ends of the strands with upcycled jewellery stones. 

PILIPINAS AND PESO SIGN

I reused the rest of its original cloth to handwrite “Pilipinas” and the “Peso” sign. Then I cut them out and assembled them (glued them together) with my Tboli-inspired remnant cloth. I intentionally frayed the edges of my remnant cloth to give a fringe-like appearance. 

I also added a white rose button to the "Peso" sign, whilst all letters of "Pilipinas" were carefully painted where each letter "i" decorated with a matching pinhead. 

Furthermore, I adorned a couple of rose buttons and a butterfly button above "Pilipinas", and decided to feature my own forgotten label. 

The handfan is no longer functional as it is now a decorative piece on my "Wall of Fans" where the artistry transformation veritably suits my personality. Hence, I am pleased as punch that I pursued personalising it even though it was not a straightforward analogue time project.

PRICELESS: NANAY PONG’S TIME-WORN COIN PURSE

 by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

One late afternoon, she saw her Nanay (mother) giggling whilst comfortably sat on the hut’s bench; abutted to the compound’s twig tower fence. That is why she curiously asked her, “why are you giggling, ‘nay?”. Her mother then replied, “I won the last two!”. What she meant was, she won a sum of money through the urban betting where the winning last two numbers was based on the weekly draw of the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office). In practical terms, this is when a small amount of money is to be paid to someone in exchange for chosen combinations from numbers 00 to 99. You will then know the winning result within 24 hours or a night after. In their conversation, her Nanay intimately added, “I won’t give you money like others, but I will buy snacks for us”. She then warmly replied to her, “no worries!”. 

When her Nanay was going to buy snacks and grabbed the purse out of her culottes’ slip pocket, she noticed the delicateness of the coin purse. Actually, it was quite scruffy and too unreliable for her remaining bills. That is why, she politely asked if they could exchange purses. She contentedly and freely handed over her purse without removing the contents. That intimate conversation she had with her Nanay years ago forever lives in her memory! 

Most wealthy parent(s) would bequeath their children either before or after they passed away. However, she is one of the many who inherited nothing but the anecdotal coin purse. It is the sole hand-me-down memorabilia given by her Nanay, which she carefully keeps for 12 years to date. Personally, she treats it as a masquerade heirloom which holds reminiscences and priceless flashbacks. 

One of the days, when she was navigating the online world for a coin purse, she ended-up with nothing. She found a few but they lacked charm and were unparalleled to her personality. A few days after, she rummaged through a drawer which consisted of trinkets and found her Nanay’s nostalgic coin purse. It made her realise that there was no urge to buy a new one as all she had to do was to allot time for an overall restoration of the coin purse and spruce up its features. 

The unexpected restoration, through a fits and starts procedure, took 7 days to complete. Actually, she presumed to be able to finish it in a few days. Unfortunately, the delicateness of the original fabric and its fiddly size caused delays. 

The personalised end result was achieved by using the excess fabric of her garments; surplus material from her handbag; the convenience of stitches using a sewing machine and the laborious needle & thimble of hand sewing. In particular, the original frayed fabric was strengthened by sticking and stitching a dissimilar fabric. It was then embellished using colourful cushions with decorative flowers, front and back, and accentuated with the original yet enhanced carbine hook. Moreover, the base has been smartened with colourful embroidered eyelets.

The lining has two joint fabric and were seamed. However, the see-through lines of the featured lining were embroidered by hand. It was carried out to emphasise the leaves and its stems. Apart from that, it was then upheld by securing interior flaps and finalised with a customised functional mini slip pocket.

Furthermore, the stiffness of the coin purse was a result of the fusible foam stabiliser. This was inserted between the outer and its lining fabric. More importantly, this is now a reliable coin purse because of its sturdier zipper in gold plated slider with a black leather puller. 

She doesn’t like dwelling in the past (a visit is more bearable) as it causes different emotional responses. However, she is very passionate about creating functional pieces from upcycled materials and more so, if each component embodies untold stories. On that account, here is another handcrafted piece of Fits and Starts sewn by Quidnunc Queen and named, “Priceless: Nanay Pong’s Time-Worn Coin Purse”.