Hi I read a few days ago about some one was a kiter,thought you might be interested to know my husband are kitemakers XX Jeannine
For retail or your own use Jeannine? Do you make the power kites we were hearing about?
Oh no. not for re-sale and no to the power kites too, that was not me, they are just for us.My husbands kite fabric stash is bigger than my quilting fabric, and I bet he has more kite books than we have gardening books too,I sew, he flies.We have made a lot of different kinds, I only said no to one he wanted,He asked if I would make him a kite train with small eddy kites, that is were there are multiple kites on one line, he said he fancied breaking the record for the number of kites in a train, I said Ok till I asked what the record was,...1500 and something...NOT. It is a lot of fun XX Jeannine
OH and I used to fly kites and one winter I decided to make some so off I toddled to the craft section in the local library. Nothing. I was then informed they are filed in aeronautical engineering!! I made a few fancy diamond and delta stunts and a French military box - very powerful - and some you can fold up in a pocket and just unroll and fly when the fancy takes you. It was great fun and I also stacked kites but only 2 or 3 at a time. Couldn't begin to imagine controlling 1500.
Still have all the doings but haven't made or flown a kite in a while. Pity. Wonder if Possum would like it.
Go on, we stop doing it then get reminded and off we go again. XX Jeannine
We make kites too Jeannine..............but nothing like yours! Ours are wood and tissue paper, so erm you can't fly them in the rain! ;D Traditionally flown on Good friday........more info here
http://bermuda-online.org/pubhols.htm (http://bermuda-online.org/pubhols.htm)
OH grew up making them, have taught our daughters, can get very messy all that tissue paper and gluey fingers ;D
DP
I used to get all my stuff from the kite shop in Covent Garden - proper fabric and mending tape, lightweight struts, attachments and twiddly bits for various line anchorage and off course different strengths of line and winders. I haven't seen such a place since we moved to Belgium but I believe there is one in Ostend where there is a very fancy annual kite festival with individual and team flying competitions.
There is a lot of kite interest in Holland, don't know about Belgium. Catch the Wind Kites sells internationally . I love wood and tissue kites by the way, there is something magical about making them and watching them go for the first time.With the big expensive jobs sometimes they go on for ever and that can get a bit boring. I love to make a new design and then keep my fingers crossed that it will fly well. I have very large parafoil that I made about 20 years ago, we have never managed to get it off properley. nit given up on it yet though,darn thing,it is about 22 feet and a lot of work. I will try and get some pictures on here. My son has just taken several of our big kites back to Holland with him but we still have few that are worth photographing.XX Jeannine
I always fancied a parafoil but couldn't find instructions at thetime and then we saw a chap on Blackheath being lifted off the ground in a not very strong wind. OH thought that was too much excitement but then he gets sea sick, air sick, car sick...... and can't even do a Viennese waltz because he gets giddy.
My sweetie wanted a kite buggy that he could sit in and let the wind take him off, but I put my foot down,silly old devil hw eill want a Harley next,XX Jeannine.
PS I have some good patterns if you change your mind!!
I'd love some patterns. Can they be PM'd or do we need to exchange email addresses?
Hi you would need to send me your address I would have to copy them for you. Actually I really need your e mail( mine is in my profile) then perhaps I could scan a picture of ones you might be interested for you to look at, I do have a lot of patterns, XX Jeannine