Some of life's creative treasures do not have to cost a lot or take considerable amounts of time to make. Creating a simple, homemade kite is one of those treasures. What a clever way to make memories with your children or grandchildren and make many more memories when the project is completed!
Kites may be made as big or as large as desired or as needed for the one handling it. However, to support the kite's ability to soar, select smaller dowels, which will serve as the frame. Typically, a good working size is 3/16 ", and two are required.
Using a hacksaw, mark the dowels at 24 and 30 inches, respectively, and carefully cut them at the markings. Arrange them perpendicularly, with the longer dowel placed lengthwise and the shorter dowel placed crosswise and approximately 20 inches from the working bottom of the longer dowel.
Use twine to secure the two dowels by wrapping them in alternating diagonals at their cross point.
Use a garbage bag to make the sail. Polyester film, which is available at craft stores, can also be used to make the sail, too. However, to create a homemade kite using everyday materials, a garbage bag is readily available at home and should do the job nicely. Cut along the seams of the bag, and place it upon a flat surface.
Secure the bag to the dowels by applying tape incrementally. Be certain to leave a some accessible space near the bottom of the longer wood dowel so that the tail can be securely added in a subsequent step. Then, steadily cut diagonally from point to point along the wood dowels to create the diamond shape characteristic of most kites. If free-handing the cuts proves challenging, use a ruler to assist in achieving straight, even cuts.
To create the kite's tail, use leftover streamers or scraps of ribbon or cloth, cut into ribbon-like lengths, and tie several small, evenly spaced strips of ribbon crosswise on a longer piece of ribbon placed lengthwise. Then, use twine to secure the tail a near the bottom of the LONGER wood Dowel . Do so by circularly wrapping twine around an inch to an inch and a half of the tail, then knotting it.
Secure flying line around the twine at the cross point. This may take some creativity. Consider using a sewing needle to accomplish this. So long as you proceed cautiously and ensure that the kite is not punctured, there are other ways to accomplish this. You need only use the supplies readily available to you and a little imagination.
Once completed, enjoy your craftsmanship with your children or grandchildren in any number of places – a park on a cool spring day, a beach during summer vacation, or your very own backyard on a beautiful and blustery autumn afternoon. With a hardwood dowel and some everyday items, a homemade kite is only a few instructional steps away.