who can build my kite

October 23, 2007 7:30 PM

Where can I get a number of appliqued kites made?

I've googled, and come up with a number of Chinese manufacturers, but I don't think the quantity (around 100) is enough for them to bother with, and I am a bit leery of the whole international ordering thing. I suppose any qualified seamstress could do the sewing, and the rest I can do...Kite makers want hundreds of dollars per sail for something IMHO should only cost in the tens of dollars. The kite sail would be about 4 feet by 6 feet with a single large applique. I can supply the material and plans.

posted by Gungho to grab bag (2 comments total)

The cost a seamstress would charge would depend on the complexity of the applique. What is the fabric? Are there any special sewing techniques used for kites that would be different than normal sewing?

To make 100, you really need more than a qualified seamstress working on her own. If I were still sewing, I might be able to do one kite for $50, but I couldn't commit to 100 without hiring help and possibly space for setting up cutting tables and working up an assembly line of sorts.
posted by happyturtle at 12:27 AM on October 24, 2007

The fabric is 1.5 oz ripstop polyester. There's nothing special except that a zigzag stitch is used when sewing. Seams are simple fold once and sew. The way I've seen it is a template is used to trace the outline, two pieces of fabric are sewn together, and the applique is cut out.
posted by Gungho at 7:49 AM on October 24, 2007