Handmade Uchiwa Fan Ideas: Perfect for kids’ crafts, cheering, and supporting your favorite idols!
A handheld fan comes in handy when you’re out and can’t use an air conditioner or electric fan.
They’re often given out for free at festival venues.
Recently, there’s also growing demand beyond just beating the heat—like cheer fans for school sports festivals and “fansa” fans used at concerts to get performers’ attention.
In this article, I’d like to share some DIY ideas for making your own uchiwa (handheld fans)!
I’ll introduce several ways to create original fans, so if you’re thinking about making one yourself, please feel free to use this as a reference.
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[Handmade Uchiwa Fan Ideas] Perfect for kids’ crafts, cheering at events, and supporting your faves! (1–10)
[Oshi Activities] Fan-service Uchiwa
![[Oshi Activities] Fan-service Uchiwa](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0rBF3Mzz5tE/sddefault.jpg)
Fan uchiwa are often used at idol and artist concerts.
Waving penlights or uchiwa toward your favorite performer on stage is a classic way to show support.
Some people may feel that making a custom uchiwa with your own phrase seems difficult.
That’s where uchiwa-making apps come in.
Just choose a template, enter your preferred text, and print it at a convenience store to complete your original uchiwa.
Pick up the uchiwa base at a 100-yen shop or similar store in advance.
Try customizing the font and border colors of the letters to create a design you love.
[Oshi Activities] Costume Uchiwa
![[Oshi Activities] Costume Uchiwa](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vXL7sQ3fZow/sddefault.jpg)
For those who want to create items for their fave that look great in suits or tuxedos, costume uchiwa fans are recommended.
The rounded shape of the fan combined with the formal image of a suit creates a unique impression.
First, make patterns for the fan and jacket silhouettes.
After cutting broadcloth fabric to match the pattern sizes, sew the pieces together.
Once you’ve attached the shirt and tie, layer the jacket on top.
When adhering the fabric to the fan base, the key is to press firmly with an iron to apply heat and set the angles.
Finally, decorate with a necklace and buttons to finish.
origami fan
Here’s an idea for making a classic summer item—a hand fan—out of origami.
You can enjoy seasonal designs themed around fireworks, the ocean, and summer festivals.
First, make the central piece that forms the fan’s face.
You can either use plain origami paper and draw your own illustrations later, or choose paper that already has patterns or pictures.
Next, create the framework by cutting and shaping another sheet of origami paper, then combine the two pieces to form the fan shape.
Finally, attach the handle, and you’ll have a cool, summery origami fan that’s perfect for the season.
[Handmade Uchiwa Fan Ideas] Perfect for kids’ crafts, cheering at events, and supporting your faves! (11–20)
pop-up uchiwa
At first glance it looks like a cane with decorations, but when you move the decorative part, a fan pops out—it’s a craft with a fun mechanism.
The fan is made by folding paper accordion-style and forming it into a circle, then connecting it to the moving mechanism with kite string so that it opens as it emerges.
Paying attention to unified colors and thicknesses, attaching large decorations to stand out while hiding the mechanism—these are key points that heighten the surprise when the fan appears.
If you make the length and decorations more compact, it might be easier to carry around.
cat ear uchiwa (cat-ear hand fan)
Let’s make a cat-ear fan with cute fluffy yarn ears.
You can create a fan that stands out at concerts or on Instagram using only materials from a 100-yen shop.
Wrap wire around a skeleton-style fan to form cat ears.
The key is to secure the ends of the wrapped wire with masking tape.
After it’s finished, the masking tape will hide the wire so it won’t show.
Braid the fluffy yarn into a three-strand braid to add thickness, then attach it to both sides of the fan.
A hot glue gun works well for the gluing.
Try moving the ears or customizing with stickers or lettering as you like.
masking tape uchiwa
If you have masking tape and a uchiwa (fan) frame, you can make your own fan.
Prepare at least three kinds of masking tape.
First, for the center area, use a ruler to create a straight line and apply the tape firmly and straight.
Let the tape extend past the edge and overlap at the same positions as you go.
Next, moving horizontally, keep adding your favorite tapes, letting them extend past the curved edge and making sure there are no gaps.
Finally, trim the excess along the top with scissors and along the bottom curve with a craft knife, and you’re done.
The best part is how easy and casual it is—you can make it with your favorite tapes!
Fold-dyed uchiwa (handheld fan)
How about making a colorful hand fan using dyed paper? You can easily try dyed paper by using the paper liners placed under tempura or fried foods.
First, accordion-fold the paper into a square.
Next, fold it into triangles or pentagons as well.
Prepare various colors of paint—using something like an empty egg carton as a palette—and dip the paper in your favorite colors.
Combine different hues and enjoy the marbled effect.
Once the dyed paper, which often turns out with unexpected patterns, has dried, you can either paste it directly onto a fan or cut and paste it to resemble flowers!