Do any of you produce a six-foot "one way" silk (i.e. butterfly design) in your one-person show? If so, how do you produce it and display it after it's produced?

Mikame produced a 7' collapsible flagstaff at one time, and I'm wondering if something like that, if still available, can be produced from a load chamber. I've never used a flagstaff production.

I've also thought about attaching one corner to my backdrop, continuing to produce the silk, spread it out and eventually attach the other corner to my backdrop. The only issue is that I don't always set up my backdrop.

Thank you for your consideration.

Terry

I used to put a matching 36" silk into a top hat and change it to a six foot of the same design. I just pulled it out and held it out between my hands. I have also done with with a Crystal Silk cylinder. Flag staff do not work to well in load chambers. They are best stolen off the back of a table. Think of a half pipe or trough. Also the silks need to reinforced to take the strain of the production of the flagstaf. Sandwich the silk between a ribbon on each side and sew them together. In fact, if your are constantly producing a silk the same way it is not a bad idea to reinforce the silk corners the same way. I had to repair a Rice large flag silk that had started to separate by being produced by the same corners over time.

I've used two expanding 4 feet telescoping poles. These are the same ones used by tour guides. They don't "flip" open like a flag staff but need to be pulled open. They are like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075M4MDLT



I don't produce them from the apparatus. I use them as a wand and a pointer in other parts of the show. Anyway, when the six foot silk is ready to be produced from the apparatus, I clip one to each top corner of the silk (I have stiff string loops tied on top two corners of the silk) then expand the poles to about 3 feet. It is easy to expand both simultaneously. Just hold the tips attached to silk in one handle and the handles in the other hand and pull. Then put one handle in each hand. Holding on the handle of each, I can raise the silk up and out by moving the body into the position like you were doing the Y in YMCA dance. So the six foot silk is fully expanded in front of you. Then, the silk can easily be "flipped" so it goes up over the head and behind the back. So you are still in the Y position which is an instant applause cue.

I taught this to a young magician who had a neat twist. He added a sparkly color changing vest. When the silk was in front of him, he triggered the vest change. Then when he flipped it behind him, there he was in this sparkly vest. It looked better for him as he was thinner and shorter than me at the time. So he looked quite impressive holding this huge silk.