To aid in shaping, paste and water are mixed, and then the ironed velvet strips are soaked in the prepared paste water.
After soaking, Yan Min ironed it again.
"Sizzle~"
The sound of water evaporating could be heard.
The fluffy flowers are already fluffy, with smooth, distinct hairs, just like feathers.
"It looks like a feather!"
Li Qingzhi couldn't help but sigh, and the others largely agreed.
"This color is just like peach blossoms."
Indeed, it's very pink.
Next comes the wire cutting.
"Today I'm going to teach you something even more difficult. Next, there's a wire-cutting step."
Pan Jinhua rummaged through Yan's thread basket and found some flower patterns. She picked out a peony pattern, because these were essential for embroidery.
"The copper wire needs to be processed according to the texture of your pattern."
This is the most patient and meticulous step, even more tiring than taking a break. The three of them, using the tools made by Pan Jinhua, began to cut the wire. They had to make sure it was perfectly fitted.
This step did take quite a bit of time, more than an hour.
During this time, Pan Jinhua also asked Liu Yun and Mo Qiaoniang to help make blue leaves, since it was an imitation of kingfisher feather inlay.
After the twisted copper wire was coated with paste, it was attached to the decorative piece.
After all the pieces were glued on, the group slowly cut out the shapes along the copper wire. Cutting the shaped pieces was just like cutting feathers.
Everyone chatted and cut the paper while doing so, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
"The last step is assembly. Hold the silk thread carefully. Look at this pattern. The petals are stacked one by one, and each petal must be wrapped with silk thread."
"The shape of the flower can be made by using tweezers, making it more lively and natural."
As Pan Jinhua spoke, she demonstrated, and a group of people surrounded her. In the blink of an eye, a lifelike peony flower took shape in Pan Jinhua's hands.
Everyone was incredulous.
"Oh my god, it really is a peony!"
"Lifelike, more grand and noble than those made of silk."
"If it were made of gold thread, the ladies would probably like it even more."
"Did we really make this?"
Pan Jinhua attached the hairpin, and the work was finished.
"Try wearing it."
Li Qingruo accepted the hairpin that Pan Jinhua handed her.
Her face was slightly flushed; she was so beautiful. Should I give it to her?
Her mother looked at her tenderly, "Wear it and let everyone see how it looks?"
"How could it not look good? I can't believe it. The process isn't complicated, yet they managed to make something so beautiful."
Yan Min sighed.
Li Qingruo looked at herself in the mirror and put the hair ornament on the end.
"Beautiful, so gorgeous."
"This hairpin is truly exquisite. If it were inlaid with pearls and paired with tourmaline, the ladies of the capital would probably be scrambling to buy it."
“Luxurious and exquisite”.
"Adding a beaded necklace would give it a different kind of charm."
"Simplicity has its own beauty, but if it's made more intricate, it becomes even more eye-catching."
The women began discussing how to modify the hairpin to make it look even better, and Pan Jinhua nodded repeatedly, unable to stop smiling.
Look, before she even started speaking, they were already automatically thinking about how to make the hairpins look better. This business is definitely theirs to do.
"So, are you interested in getting into the velvet flower business?"
The women looked at Pan Jinhua, who was smiling kindly, and were all somewhat stunned. She wanted us to do business ourselves?
"Does Mother mean that we sisters-in-law should do it ourselves?"
Liu Yun hesitated. Helping his family make tofu was understandable, but if he went out and did business in public, it would be bad for the Li family's reputation.
"What, you can't do it?"
Pan Jinhua understood their hesitation.
"Auntie, I can."
Yan Min readily agreed. She was short of money and now relied on the Li family for food and drink, which made her feel quite embarrassed.
She still has two children to raise, and this can't go on forever. Now that there's a way to make money, she can't afford to miss it.
"Grandma, your granddaughter wants to do it too."
Li Qingruo's eyes were firm. After hearing the story of Bai Suzhen last time, she had learned something from the conversation between her grandmother and sister.
She wanted to do something, but couldn't think of any way, so she could only embroider things at home.
Even Aunt Min praised this velvet hairpin highly, which shows that it has great potential. If she continues down this path, she will surely be able to make a living with her own hands.
Even if she doesn't get married in the future, she can at least earn some food for herself, and her younger brothers and nephews won't have to worry about her future.
"Me too! Me too!" Li Qingfei and Li Qingzhi eagerly raised their hands, afraid of being left out.
Mo Qiaoniang glanced at Li Qingruo, gritted her teeth, and nodded.
"Mother, this velvet hairpin is a wonderful thing, and your daughter-in-law would like to make one too."
Nothing she did, no matter how much she tried to make a public appearance, was as important as her daughter.
Seeing that everyone wanted it, Liu Yun didn't say anything more. Both of her daughters wanted to make it too. Besides, the hairpin was so beautiful that even she wanted one herself.
"This is perfect. I've been thinking about this for a long time."
"Once this hairpin hits the market, it will surely become a sensation in Shao County. People will know that it was made by the Li family, and the Li family's reputation will definitely rise to a new level. This will also help Xu Ming and his group."
Pan Jinhua still came up with a reason for them: it was all for the Li family.
Upon hearing this, all hesitation in their hearts vanished completely.
It is our duty to uphold the family's reputation.
In the days that followed, Pan Jinhua taught them some simpler velvet flower making techniques, each with its own unique beauty.
The women of the Li family also calmed down and began to think about how to make it, and the velvet flower hairpins were even more amazing.
Pan Jinhua also advised them to do what they were best at and to develop their own style. If everyone's velvet hairpins were all pretty much the same, it wouldn't be so easy to capture the upper-class market.
After all, everyone has an aesthetic sense, and the aesthetic sense of the wealthy is at least at the forefront of the world.
Making it look good isn't difficult, and making it spread based on the characteristics of velvet hairpins isn't difficult either. What's difficult is maintaining innovation and uniqueness.
"From now on, it's up to you. I'm an old woman, and my taste isn't up to par."
Pan Jinhua said self-deprecatingly, but she wasn't lying.
In ancient times, women learned needlework from a young age, especially women from official families. Needless to say, they didn't have to learn how to make these things, but they had to be able to recognize them.
But for no other reason than that this is a skill that women in the inner quarters must learn.
You can tell a person's character by their clothes and their scent.
Women also played a significant role in the inner quarters of the household.
"Auntie, please don't be modest. Just considering how you make these velvet flowers, you are an extraordinary person."
"I didn't make it; I just saw it in a dream."
Pan Jinhua waved her hand, saying that if she could do that, not only would the family genealogy start from her, but even the history books would mention her.
When Liu Yun and Mo Qiaoniang heard the word "dream," they exchanged a glance. Their mother-in-law's dreams were full of intrigue and mystery.
They quickly went up to Yan Min and shared their thoughts, instantly drawing Yan Min's attention.
Pan Jinhua retired gracefully after achieving her goal.
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