Nylon Kite
for your kids by letting them design
their own kite.
- 1 yard nylon fabric
- Two 24-inch wooden dowels
- Sturdy string
- Wood glue
- Fabric paints
1. Form a cross with the two wooden dowels (the horizontal dowel should lay about 6 inches below the top of the vertical dowel). Put wood glue in the intersection and clamp dowels with a clothespin. When dry, wind string around the intersection to reinforce the connection.
2. With a knife, cut a notch into the ends of each dowel. Run a long piece of string through all four notches and tie ends so string is taut. Lay the string and dowel on top of spread fabric. Use chalk to outline the diamond shape of the frame onto the fabric.
3. Draw a second line an inch beyond the original diamond. Cut the fabric on the outer diamond. Cut 1-inch slits at each corner. With an iron, press the inch of cloth into a fold.
4. Place the dowel frame onto the fabric, folding pressed edge over the string. Stitch fabric along pressed edge, encasing string. Paint designs with fabric paint.
5. Tie a 12-inch string to the base of the vertical dowel, then thread the end through the fabric to the lower front of the kite (make a small hole with a pin or nail).
6. Tie a 16-inch piece of string to the intersection of the dowels, then thread the end through a small hole in the fabric to the front of the kite. Knot the two ends with the end of the kite string.
