STEP 1: With a right angle ruler, mark the lower left side of a 6" square. Then flip the ruler over, and mark the upper right side of a 6" square. Your template will look like this after the each part is drawn:

First draw lower left side.	Next draw upper right side

STEP 2: The next step is to use a compass to draw the upper right curve, and the curve for the base of the fan on the lower left side. A compass large enough to draw a radius of at least 6" can be expensive, and while there are also compass components that you can purchase that fit on a ruler and pencil, you can easily make a compass just for this project.

To make your compass, from the manila folder cut a rectangle that is 7" long and 1" wide. At the left side of the rectangle, make a dot that is 1/2" in from the edge. Then, from that dot, measure 2" to the right and make a second dot. From that dot, measure another 4" to the right and make a third dot. Your compass, at this point, will look like this, with dots at 0", 2" and 6":

To complete the compass, use a chenille needle (the same kind that you use for silk ribbon embroidery) to make holes at the 2" and 6" dots. Go ahead and draw the needle all the way through the compass, as the eye of the needle being wider will make the hole the right size for the tip of the pen as you draw the curves for the block. The first dot that you made (the one that is 1/2" from the left side of the compass) does not need to be punched, as this is where you will anchor the compass with a thumb tack as you draw the curves on the block. (Note: You can also use a push pin, which is a thumb tack with a "handle" on top, or a sewing pin or chenille needle.)

STEP 3: Put the point of your thumb tack through the first dot that you made 1/2" from the left side of the compass. Then, carefully insert the point of the thumb tack through the point of the bottom left corner of the block that you drafted in Step 1. Your compass and block will look like this:

Now you are ready to draw both of your curves. Lay the block on a large book or a magazine that does not have a slippery surface, leaving the point of the thumb tack hanging over the edge. Insert your pen in the dot that is 2" from the thumbtack, and slide the compass back and forth over the block until you see that your curve has been successfully drawn from side to side. Do the same at the dot that is 6" away.

Your block will look like this:

STEP 4: Now it is time to decide how many blades you want to have on your fan. To make the divisions accurately, purchase a protractor at an art or business supply store. (Note: In the alternative, you can simply trace the fan portion of the template onto paper, and fold the paper into as many fan blades as you wish to have. For example, if you wish to have four fan blades, fold the fan portion in half and in half again, and use the folds on the paper as your guidelines. If you wish to have eight fan blades, fold the fan portion in half and in half again, and then in half again. Use the folds of the paper as your guidelines for drawing the lines for the fan blades.)

Line up the cross-marks on the bottom of the protractor with the corner on the bottom left side of the template, and line up the 90 degree mark on the protractor with the left side of the template. (Tip: Use a small piece of double stick tape to hold the protractor in place while you make your calculations and marks for the fan blades.) Here is what the template looks like with the protractor in place:

Bottom of Protractor	Top of Protractor

To calculate how to mark the fan blades, a quarter circle consists of 90 degrees. To make four fan blades, mark every 22.5 degrees along the outer perimeter of the protractor. This means that the first mark will be at 112.5 degrees, the second mark will be at 135 degrees and the third mark will be at 157.5 degrees. The template will look like this:

Now simply line up your ruler with the left corner and each point marked with the protractor, and draw lines. This creates four equal fan blades that look like this:

Note that on the far left fan blade I put a grain line. I made this grain line by finding the half-way mark for the fan blade, which was 11.25 degrees to the right of the 90 degree mark. The grain line is important for this reason: If each of your fan blades is on a different grain line, it can create problems with the way the fabrics do or do not work together. Straight of grain always over powers bias. So if you have two straight of grain fan blades on either side of a bias fan blade, the bias fan blade may ripple and stretch as you embellish it.

The finished template is ready to be used to create a set of pressing templates, as well as the templates to use for making the pattern. Label the pieces accordingly, and make sure that you label the fan blade pieces because at some point you may want to add a larger seam allowance on fan blade pieces 1 and 4, as well as on either side of the base, and it will be important to know which piece is which so that they all fit together correctly. Your labeled template will look like this:

All of the parts of the template are labeled and now the template can be cut apart and used to make pattern pieces.

STEP 5: Because each of the fan blades is exactly the same size and shape, only one pattern piece needs to be made. However, if you do decide that you want to make a block that has 1/2" seam allowances around the outer edges in order to allow for embellishment shrinkage, then you will need to make patterns for fan blades 1 and 4 that have 1/2" seam allowances on their outer sides. It is important to keep these pieces marked so that your fan blades all end up being the same size when the block is finished. Also, if you are going to "fussy cut" one or more of your fan blades, the numbered fan blades will assist you in remembering the order of assembly.

For each template, trace around it on a piece of manila folder and then add a 1/4" seam allowance. It is very important to make sure that when you add the 1/4" seam allowance, that you cover the traced line with the line on your ruler. If you place your ruler to one side of the traced line, you may end up adding or subtracting almost 1/8" to your pattern piece, and this means that the pieces will not fit together accurately. (Tip: To add 1/4" seam allowance to a curved edge, make dots at 1/4" right angles 1/8" apart around the curve. Then connect the dots by hand. In other words, place your ruler at a right angle to the edge of the curve, and mark a dot 1/4" from the edge. Make the next dot 1/8" away from the first dot. Continue around the curve, and then connect the dots.) This is how your pattern pieces will look:

STEP 6: Now you are ready to cut and assemble your pieces. Start with a foundation fabric that is 6-1/2" by 6-1/2" square. (Tip: If you tear the fabric instead of cutting it, you will get a "true" edge that will ensure that your foundation fabric is on the straight of grain. This will help your fan block to keep it's shape.)

When you tear your 6-1/2" square block, it may look like the block below. To straighten it, just draw a 6-1/2" block on a piece of paper, pin the fabric to it, and give it a shot of steam. Let the fabric block dry completely before you move it, or else it will stretch out of shape. (Tip: My preference is to draw a 6-1/2" square block on a piece of manila folder, and then stab pins into the edges of the block to bring it to the correct shape. Then I give it a shot of steam and leave it to dry on the ironing board while I am choosing the fabrics for the block.)

Trace around your pattern pieces with a waterproof fine-tip pen (I like the "Sharpie" brand), and make sure that you completely cut off the marking line when you cut out the pieces. If you have a "wiggly" fabric that tries to shift and wiggle as you are tracing, use dots instead of a solid line. The dots can be as close as 1/16" apart, and will provide an adequate cutting line.

Assemble the pieces on your foundation fabric in the design that you prefer:

STEP 7: Now it is time to press under the top, curved portion of the fan blades and the curved patch at the base of the fan. Position the pressing template on the wrong side of the fabric pieces, making sure that there is 1/4" seam allowance around the edges:

Now, with the tip of the iron, press the curved edges over the templates. (Note: If you have slippery fabrics, or fabrics that may be damaged by the heat of the iron, then you will need to run a line of hand basting 1/4" from the edge of the fabric, and then use that basting as a guide for folding the top edge later on. You can also simply stitch along the edge with your sewing machine with a long basting stitch that will allow you to pull the bobbin thread to shape the fabric over the edge of the pressing template.)

Now place the fabrics with the pressed top edges on your block, and decide which fan blades need to have one or both sides pressed under. In the sample, the second fan blade and the fourth fan blade are next to slippery fabrics whose edges will be more difficult to turn. So the edges of the slippery fabrics will be left flat, and the edges of the two more stable fabrics will be turned under. The first and fourth fan blades only need one edge turned under, since the outer edge is in the seam allowance of the block. (Note: The upper right corner fabric is left flat. The fan blades will be laid over the upper right corner fabric, and then the small curved patch at the lower left will be laid over the fan blades. This avoids the necessity of sewing seams either by hand or with a sewing machine.)

STEP 8: Once the pieces are pressed on their sides, assemble the block and baste the pieces. Make sure that you stop the basting on each side of each piece of fabric, so that the basting can be removed at a later time without disturbing the rest of the basting. Now you are ready to embellish your block.