MOTHER'S RECYCLED KITE

Enlarge Image Image Gallery DIAGRAMS BY PIERR MORGAN LEITZ PHOTO BY GEORGE GREGER

Not 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 KITE

Here'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.