Build: frame, bridle, bowline

I finished my first suruga!

Three points along the bottom make ideal places to mount tails.

Suruga: hems

I couldn't figure out how to fold the hems without making at least two cuts in the sail. I hope the cuts don't rip in the wind. Perhaps some reinforcement will help.

Detail of kite sail showing beads of glue along the 2-cm hem.

First build of 2011: Suruga

It feels good to be in the process of building my first kite of the year. This suruga design has a unique bottom-heavy shape, which looks a bit like an arrow pointing down.

I'm finally using a sheet of the hand-made paper I bought from Jerry's Artarama back in March of 2010 (read "Purchase: Paper, silk and fabric"). I chose to use the yellow and green bamboo print paper, which matches the pale green color of the bamboo I'm using for the spars and spines.

Purchase: paper, silk and fabric

Paper, silk and fabric excite me. Every material, holds endless possibilities. A scarf billows as a tail. Leafs of paper catch wind and soar.

I went to Jerry's Artorama, 6010 IH 35 North in Austin, and learned the store has switched paper vendors. The guy at the register, Armando, told me the new selection will be better than their current stock, which I think is very good. Meanwhile, all decorative papers are 30 percent off. I plan to visit again soon to see if prices have dropped even more.

This is what I'll use to experiment with the suruga kite design.

Bamboo-printed paper caught my eye last time I was in the store, so this time I bought four sheets in yellow, two shades of green and orange. Each sheet cost less than $4.

I couldn't take my eyes of a final sheet of paper labeled "raspberry zig zag." No price tag, so must be expensive, right? It also cost about $4! I would liked to have bought more. An imperfection in the zig zag striations--two pale dime-sized dots--must be why no one wanted it. I think it's beautiful.

At the Goodwill second-hand store on North Lamar, I found all sorts of interesting fabrics. Denise giggled at me for browsing the woman's section for gaudy prints on sleepwear and dresses. Nearby shoppers must have thought me a cross dresser or perv. I found gold in the tie and house wear sections. PK enjoys testing the textures.

 One is an Italian silk scarf about 16 inches square that has an orange flower and bow motif on white--it'll make a great sail for $3. I found a navy on sky blue polyester scarf nearly twice as big for $3. A set of four place mats, 39 cents each, with a funky blue spiral design will make for a fun sail if the gauzy material will catch wind.

What I think is supposed to be a gaudy purple and green curtain with sequence and tasseled trim might make for a funky tail. I don't mind paying $2 for about three yards of fabric, even if it's brilliantly tacky.

A trapezoidal fall-themed banner made of nylon could make for a durable sail, but the weight will probably limit its flight to days with stiff winds.

PK loves to play fashion show.

Build: suruga

I've been reading the instructions for how to build a suruga kite. I love the wide-bottomed shape and its simplicity. I think this is the next kite I'll build.

I might have to buy some paper from Paper Source. Love the Japanese and Indian selections of hand-made paper.