Casgliadau Arlein

Paddle-shaped fan with narrow handle. Paddle is made of shiny, papery-thin, white-to-semi-transparent leaf material (confirmed by BioSyB Jan2007) which has been folded into pointy tips. These overlap like fish-scales and point outwards from the centre. They have been stitched to both sides of a card base using white thread. The side edge of the card base has been encased with ribbon piping (= buff colour, formerly pink (?), silk or synthetic warp, cellulosic weft, tabby weave). Fan has rounded handle wrapped with same ribbon . Ribbon has also been used for decorative bows in the centre of both faces of the fan and a bow at the interface between handle and 'paddle'. The shape of the paddle looks like an upside-down pear, starting out narrow, and then widening out towards the top.

On the centre front of the fan, the stitched-on leaf material is not folded into peaks, but has flat edges which have been cut so as to make a 'fringed' edge. (the length of the cuts ranges between 0.1 - 0.5cm).

Underneath the bow on the centre front, the membrane has been shaped into three 'buds', two of which are (still?) pink. Also, some strands of moss (?) have been tucked underneath the bow.