DIY Network

Custom Kite Custom Kite From "Ask DIY Decorating & Crafts" episode DADD-205

Q: My kids love flying kites. Lately they’ve been asking me if they can make their own kites. Do you have an easy way to make a kite that will actually fly?

A: (Debbie Stapley) I love getting outside with my family and flying kites -- it's a great way to get everyone together and out of the house. Now, you could go out and spend money on a store-bought kite -- or you could make one yourself that you can personalize with your own style. This is a perfect project for both adults and kids; the nicest thing is that there is very little sewing involved. It's nothing that requires you to be a seamstress -- you don't even have to own a sewing machine!

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Materials
Rip-stop nylon
Two 2' dowels (1/8"-1/4" in diameter)
String
Craft knife
Pencil
Ruler
Wood glue

1. Mark one dowel at 6" and the other at the halfway point, then attach the two at the marks to form a cross. Apply wood glue at the intersection and secure with a clamp or a clothespin.

2. When the glue is dry, wind sturdy string around the intersection to reinforce the connection.

3. Cut a shallow notch in the end of each dowel. Run a length of string through all four notches and tie ends so string is taut.

4. Lay the string and the dowel on top of the nylon.

5. Use chalk to outline the diamond shape of the frame onto the fabric.

6. Draw a second line 1" beyond the original diamond and cut the fabric on the outer diamond. Cut 1" slits at each corner. With an iron, press the inch of cloth into a fold.

7. Place the dowel frame on to the fabric, folding the pressed edge over the string. Stitch fabric along pressed edge, encasing string. (If sewing isn't your forte, you can also use fabric glue to encase the string.)

8. Paint designs with fabric paint.

9. Tie a 12" string to the base of the vertical dowel, then thread the end through a hole in the fabric to the lower front of the kite (make a small hole with a pin or nail).

10. Tie a 16" 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.

11. And finally, add a tail. I added streamers of additional nylon; feel free to use your imagination!

And that's all it takes.

Note: There are many different ways to decorate a kite. If you have a color printer and scanner at home, scan a picture of your child and then print it out onto a piece of iron-on paper. Then iron it onto a piece of lightweight fabric and use that for your kite. Your kids will love to see their face soaring up in the sky.

Let's go back now and review how we put one of these together. We did the following:

• Formed the base of the kite with dowels using wood glue and string.

• Ran string through all four notches in the dowels and tied that off.

• Cut out the shape of the kite on to our fabric.

• Attached the fabric and painted it.

• Attached the strings.