MARGARET GREGERNot long ago, I sat down to design an ecologically sound,
aesthetically satisfying recycled kite in honor of my
favorite magazine. And here it is! A fine, easy-to-make, guaranteed-to-fly
little treasure that will soon banish whatever "kite
failure" inhibitions you may have. Better yet—except for a
l4¢ dowel and a little tape— MOTHER'S kite is constructed
entirely from recycled materials ... and you can make this
high-flyer in less than half an hour! Now, I know that a grocery-bag-and-newspaper plaything may
not seem very exciting or beautiful while you're puttin' it
together ... but—once you get it up in the sky—MOTHER'S kite
will certainly "outshine" many more colorful and expensive
models.
HOW TO MAKE MOTHER'S KITEHere's all you need: 1 large grocery bag (about 17" deep),
a 3/16" dowel (4' long), cotton string for the bridle,
masking or strapping tape, newspaper for a tail, and glue
(or more tape) to fasten the paper together. (A
large-sized bag produces a 17" square with a 24" diagonal
. . . which means that just one 4' dowel will make a kite.
MOTHER'S flyer can also be scaled larger—up to 24"—or
smaller: down to 15" with 1/8" dowel.) Finally, as for
tools, you'll need scissors, a ruler, and a pencil. Now . . . here's how to proceed:
STEP 1: Cut down the
seam of the paper bag and remove the sack's bottom. Then,
spread the bag flat and measure off a 17" square. This can
be done by folding the corner diagonally up to the top
edge ... but don't crease the paper. STEP 2: Cut out the square (this is the back of the kite
as seen in Fig. 1) and make the dots as illustrated.
Position these marks halfway between the corners of the
kite and its center. STEP 3: Reinforce the dots with strips of tape (Fig. 2). STEP 4: Cut your dowel into spars that fit from corner to
corner. Lay them in place and tape the ends so the strips
of adhesive lap over the corners and around to the front
of the kite (Fig. 2).
Strapping tape is great for
this job, but other types will do.
STEP 5: Poke a hole
through each of the dots and turn the kite over. STEP 6: Cut a 20" and a 12" length of bridle string. Tie
the ends of the 20" string through the holes and over the
spars at the "top" of the square (Fig. 3). Then, tie one
end of the 12" length around the intersection of the spars
at the center. With that done, find the midpoint of the
upper string and tie a loop in it. Next, run the string
which comes from the center of the kite through this loop,
pull it up until the plane formed by the top string is
perpendicular to the face of the kite (Fig. 3), and knot
the bridle together. STEP 7: Cut a 22" section of string to make a tail
harness. Then, tie the ends of this cord through the
"bottom" holes and over the spars ... and knot a loop in
the middle of the string (Fig. 4). STEP 8: Your kite's tail should be made of 7" -wide
strips, cut across the 24" width of the newspaper. (You
can slice several sheets at a time.) Glue the strips end
to end, using as many as 10 for a l7"-long kite.
IMPORTANT: Crumple and smooth out the finished tail at
least three times to soften the newspaper, then attach the
appendage as shown in Fig. 4. (You can wrap the tail
around the kite for easy transportation and storage.) Now, simply fasten your kite's flying string (strong
crochet thread will work fine in slight breezes, and
braided fishing line is the top choice for especially
blustery days) to the bridle loop—Fig. 5—and just watch
the recycled flyer dance on the winds! | 
