Kite Arch Plan
Get the kite plan in .pdf form here.

Making the Sails
3/4 oz. nylon

Do your graphic design (or applique on a letter) before cutting your sail pieces to size per the sketch. This is the finish size of the kites. You will bind the edges with black strips instead of folding them in for a hem. Sail edges do not need to be hot cut.

Use a true "white" fabric for making kites with letters and numbers. The "natural" sold by North Cloth as white looks like dirty laundry beside a white from Texlon or Baimbridge.

Hot cut 3/4" wide strips of 3/4oz. black nylon for edge binding. Fold them in half & crease them to give a 3/8" wide black border on the sails. Cut lengths an inch or so longer than the sides of the sail, Slip fold over the sail edges & sew them on using whatever stitch you like. We use the triple zigzag, but straight stitch works fine too. If you are not comfortable about keeping the sail pushed tight inside the folded binding while sewing, draw pencil lines on the sail 3/8" in from the edges so you can see that binding is going on straight.

Trim the excess end of the binding with scissors where you put the next piece over it, & hot cut the final overhanging ends after all four sides are on.

The pockets are created by folding the pieces lengthwise - and not quite in the middle - before sewing them onto the kite. Sew 3 sides leaving the short flap open. Sew the tail in between the bottom pocket and the sail.

Finish up by installing 3/16" wood dowels with ends rounded over with sandpaper. Ours have turned out 17-7/8" long to be snug without distorting the sails.