RISD KAP KITE WORKSHOP

This page is to document the build procedure for the 4-foot Allison Sled kite workshop. Not everyone was able to finish their kite and this page is intended to help them get it done.

ALLISON SLED KITE: The Allison Sled kite was invented by William Allison is Dayton, OH in 1950. It is a wonderful design, easy to make and easy to fly. It exists today in many variations. The RISD kite is the original Allison design without the Hornbeam scallop or the Scott laceration. Why is it called a 'sled' kite? Because it was once called a 'flexible flyer'. The term 'Flexible Flyer' was already trademarked for a recreational snow sled for kids. The kite was patented as a 'Polymorphic Kite', meaning 'many shapes', since the kite contours itself to the wind. But the 'flexible flyer' appellation was out there, and a flexible flyer was a sled, and 'sled' is much easier to say and spell than 'polymorphic'. Hence, the kite has been called a Sled ever since.

Some handy things to know before wading in to this project.

The Kite Sewing 101 web page: CLICK HERE.

Sewing Guide Magnets are readily available. CLICK HERE.

The page describing Hot Tools: CLICK HERE.

To understand how a sewing machine really works, The Secret Life of the Sewing Machine is a great video.

For the edited 5-minute version of the above video that only shows how a sewing machine sews, CLICK HERE.

4-foot Sled Kite

This is the finished kite flying with a 6-1/2 ounce test weight.

Sled Kite Basics

At left is almost everything needed to know to make a Sled Kite. Many Sleds are made using 2-foot sticks (purple). Think of the blue squares as 'units'. Two feet tall is 24 inches. 24 inches divided by 3 units (squares) equals 8" per square. That tells us the the points of the Flares (Points E and F in the graphic) are 8" down and 8" out.

The RISD Sled is 48". (48/3) makes each square unit 16". The kite is 48" tall. The points of the Flares are 16" down and 16" out. The width of the kite is 16" times 4 units = 64". The total length of the bridle for the kite is 3 times the width. 64 times 3 = 192". An inch was added on each side of the Body for sleeves. 2" time 3 equals 6" makes the bridle 198". Skipping all of the too much information, too long a bridle is better than too short a bridle. The bridles for the 48" RISD kite were cut at 110".

The Kit:

The kit for the workshop consists of 3 panels of fabric: A rectangle and two triangles. There are also 2 Tabs that are 1/2" by 4". Two wooden dowels 1/4" by 48". 2 pieces of string each 110 inches long.

The two short (34") sides of the rectangle are marked for a 1/4" hem. The 'triangles' actually have 5 edges when the 1" ends of the Sleeves for the sticks are counted. Every edge except the longest edge is marked for a 1/4" hem. The longest edge has no mark on it.

The long edges of the middle rectangle are each marked with a pencil line 1" in from the edge. The purpose of those lines is to align the hemmed triangles to the hemmed rectangle for sewing. This makes a 1" sleeve for the sticks.

Step 1: Fold and Crease on pencil lines

Hems prevent the fabric from fraying caused by use and wear and tear. The 3 panels in the kits were marked with pencil for 1/4" hems. The wide (1") lines on the 48-1/2" by 34" rectangle are NOT hems. They are location lines for the Flares after everything is hemmed. DO NOT CREASE THE WIDE LINES.

Crease ON the lines, not just close...

Above the pic shows right and wrong. Horizontal shows good practice and procedure. The part on the right shows a bit of a miss. It is not a 'fly or die' error, only aesthetic. Note the pencil mark for where the Tab will go.

The best technique for creasing the pencil lines is to pinch on the line with one hand, and pinch again on the line about 2 inches away with the other hand. Put it on a flat surface and crease between the pinches using a thumb nail. Ceasing the entire again with a credit card makes it easier to sew.

Pinch in two places.

Place flat and crease with thumbnail.

Crease sharp with a plastic card.

What it looks like on the back side.

STEP 2: SEW THE HEMS

Now it is time to bite the bullet and use the sewing machine. The Presser Foot is what holds the fabric down against the Feed Dogs (those jagged things under the Presser Foot) to move the fabric through the sewing machine.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION

On the day of the workshop this Pfaff 1171 was available to sew the kites. This shows that the info on the cover says to push buttons H & I to offset the needle to the right.

STAND ON IT & STEER

The magnet is against the edge of the Presser Foot. It will prevent the fabric from going too far to the right, keeping the stitches on the folded fabric for the hem. The yellow light indicates the the needle will always stop in the 'down' position, holding the work in place if and when adjustment is needed.

Step 3: Stick Sleeves

Now that everything is hemmed. Wait. Everything IS hemmed, right? Everything EXCEPT the long edges of the rectangle and triangles, right?

Okay! Align a Flare (triangle) to the pencil mark line on the long edge of the rectangle.

HOT TACKING

In a perfect world you have a Hot Tacker to 'spot weld' the fabric together along the seam, er, edge of the panel.

NO HOT TACKER?

No worries. That is why there is masking tape. Tape the snot out of it, using short pieces of masking tape. Peel the tape as the seam is sewn. It is a real pain to remove the tape if it has been sewn through.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION: In this process we are sewing a sleeve for the sticks of our kite. We need to sew across both ends of the sleeve or the stick will work its way out of the sleeve. But we also need to create a hole in the sleeve to get the stick into the sleeve. Why? Because it is much easier to leave a hole than to try to sew around a stick in the kite. Another reason is that if the stick ever breaks, we might want to replace it easily, rather than ripping out a seam, replacing the broken stick, and then sewing around the stick (again) to close the ripped out portion.

METHOD: Decide if it is an 'Innie' or an 'Outie'. Said another way. PICK A SIDE! Okay, enough hyperbole, In a perfect world, it is possible to start sewing on the BACK, REARWARD, TRAILING EDGE of the kite. Decide if the Sleeve Openings will be on the inside of the kite or the outside. Which of those is chosen is not important. That it is the same on both sides of the kite is important. Choose the side. Stitch in 2 stitches (HINT: The needle pierces the fabric THREE times). Back stitch (reverse) the same number of stitches. Lift the Presser Foot and move the kite an inch or so (not critical) and start sewing again, back stitching (reverse) at the start to prevent stitch loosening.

MORE TOO MUCH INFORMATION: Always try to find the easiest way to do it. The Pfaff 1171 can also offset its needle to the left instead of center or right. Know the machine, RTFM, and let it work for you. One method of sewing the sleeve is to sew the entire rectangle of the sleeve in one fell swoop. Another method is to sew an edge and an end, back tack (reverse stitch) on each end to lock the stitches, then remove the work, cut the thread, and sew the other edge and end.

ONE LAST THING: If we do the math, an quarter-inch diameter dowel requires a half-inch sleeve. For this kite, we used a 1-inch allowance, sewing an eighth of an inch on each side, leaving a three-quarter inch sleeve, hopefully. Said another way, there is an entire quarter inch of possible error, or fudge-factor, built in. Also, we are using simple Lap Seams which allow for a multitude of sewing sins. None of the deviations from a straight line will appear as a lump or bump in the finished kite.

TRAILING EDGE:

2 STITCHES

Start sewing at the Hem stitches.

Sew TWO stitches.

(HINT: To complete 2 stitches the needle will pierce the fabric THREE times.) Back stitch (reverse).

MOVE FORWARD

AN INCH

Lift the needle and the Presser Foot. Move the fabric into the machine about an inch. Start sewing again back-stitching to lock in the first stitches. This is the hole to insert the stick later.

DOWNSIDE

The good news is that it is easy to see what is happening and control the stitching. The bad news is that the entire rest of the kite needs to be stuffed through the throat of the sewing machine.

Sleeve & opening.

The other sleeve

& opening.

This is what the kite should look like now.

STEP 4: SEW TABS

TO FLARES.

Find the two 4" by 1/2" of zig-zag stitched nylon Tab.

ADD SEAMSTICK:

Cut two healthy (1/2") pieces of seamstick. Apply them to each end of a Tab. Then fold the Tab in half. Do that for both Tabs.

POSITION TAB ON FLARE.

Notice above that the pencil line is the centerline for the Tab. The Tab straddles the pencil line. Leave about 1/4" from the point of the Flare to the fold of the Tab.

PEEL AND PLACE.

Peel the other piece of Seamstick and fold over the Tab to be on top of the first half of the Tab.

SEW THE TABS

Above shows only how far in to place the work. There is a line on the Presser Foot that shows needle position. Insert to just past the line.

CENTER THE TAB

Above shows the Tab centered under the Presser Foot. Select Zig-Zag stitch and ZERO the feed. Sew back and forth in place for about 6 stitches. Choose 2 mm on the feed and sew until next pic.

SEW TO HERE

Leave about 1/4". On this sewing machine, we stopped when the Tab got to the gap between the metal Throat Plate and the white plastic tray cover. ZERO the feed and stitch back and forth in place to lock the stitch.

STEP 5: STICK IT:

Find the two 4-foot dowels. Notice that the ends have a sharp 90-degree angle that will wear its way through the sleeve of the kite.

EYELINER SHARPENER

An eyeliner sharpener is ideal to round off the ends of the dowel. This makes the dowels more kite sleeve friendly.

COMPARE & CONTRAST

Notice that the dowel on the left is rounded off. Round off one end of both dowels and insert the rounded end into the kite sleeve.

Insert the rounded end...

Insert the rounded end of the stick into the kite sleeve

Push all the way

Push the stick all the way in until it gets to the Leading Edge of the kite.

MARK FOR THE CUT

With the stick all the way into the sleeve, mark the stick at the stitches on the end of the sleeve and cut it.

CUT THE DOWEL

TO FIT THE SLEEVE

If you do not have a chop saw handy, a sharp knife works well to cut the dowel.

ROUND OFF & INSERT

Round off the end of the dowel and insert it into the sleeve. In a perfect world, it will not quite fit all the way. This is good.

STRETCH THE SLEEVE

Stretch the sleeve to fit around the end of the stick. Remember those two stitches? Now it all makes sense.

STEP 6: BRIDLE

Find the two strings. Mark each of them 5" in from the end.

INSERT THRU TAB

Put the marked end f the string through the Tab on the Flare. Insert until the mark on the string reaches the far edge of the Tab.

TIE AN OVERHAND LOOP

Using both strands, tie the 'around and through' knot, an Overhand Knot. Form a loop (above) and then push everything on the right side of it (above) through it. This makes an Overhand Loop.

LIKE ABOVE

Above is the Overhand Loop that is desired.

PULL IT CLOSED.

The finished knot ready for the next step. Do this on both Flares of the kite.

THIS IS IT!

Match the edges of the kite, ignore the ends of the Tabs, and pull out along the strings to the ends. With the edges even, as above, tie an Overhand Knot in the ends.

THIS IS IT!

This is the most critical part of the entire process. Getting the final knot in the center, so that both strings are the same length, is the 'fly or die' part of making the kite. CONGRATULATIONS! It is now a kite. You are a Kite Maker.

GO FLY A KITE!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! IF YOU CALL RIGHT NOW... Um, er, every kite needs a bag to keep the kite from getting dirty, damaged, or tangled. In the Kit were two strips of fabric, 4-1/2" by 60". In a perfect world, we would have sewn the bag first because it is made inside-out which means that all the mistakes are hidden on the inside. We opted to try to get the kites sewn first before the sewing machine disappeared.

For extra credit, make the bag for your kite. The finished kite is about 48-1/2" long. Call it 49" because a bag that slightly too big is better than a bag that is slightly too small. Take the dimension for the kite (49"), add 3". Then add 3" to that. Take one of the strips and cut it to 52". (49+3) Cut the other strip at 55". (49+3+3). Mark one end of each strip for a 1/4" Hem. Fold crease and sew that hem. Put the good sides together (folded sides of the hems away from each other), match up the raw (NOT hemmed) ends. Hot Tacking the entire bag is best. Experienced sewers can just eyeball it and sew. Hot Tack (or sew) the bag sides together with the longer side on the bottom. When close to 3" from the hemmed ends, fold the long hemmed end in between the layers so the the fold is just beyond, outside of, the hemmed end of the short side.

Sew around the outside of the bag using the edge of the Presser Foot as a guide and the needle in the center position. Turn the bag right side to and you have completed all designated tasks! Well, perhaps you could put the kite in the bag as well...