Date: Mon, 15 Aug 1994 04:03:55 -1000 From: bernhard.malle@dbag.ulm.daimlerbenz.com (Bernhard Malle) Message-Id: <9408151403.AA29314@dagobert> Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University Subject: seven-sisters-kite Hello, I have recently downloaded some pictures from the famous rec.kites archive in Hawaii. There I found two pictures of the seven-sisters-kite. Does anyone knows something about the size of the kite or which spares with which diameters were used? Are the seven sisters painted on the ripstop or are they sewn with different colors? Thanks for any help Bernhard +------------------------------------------+ | Bernhard Malle | | Bernhard.Malle@dbag.ulm.daimlerbenz.com | | Ulm, Germany | +------------------------------------------+ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 09:36:40 -1000 From: reid@csri.toronto.edu (Karen Reid) Message-Id: Subject: Re: seven-sisters-kite I made a seven sisters kite several years ago. (As far as I know the name seven sisters refers to the seven hexagons in the kite, not the faces on Randy Tom's kite.) The original frame was much too heavy and I could never get it to fly properly. This summer I reframed it with Glasforms A20 and now it flies quite well. It's about 4.5 feet >From point-to-point. c__ __ There's a crude ascii drawing of the shape. The / \/ \ seven hexagons (not quite all the lines are there) _\__/\__/_ are joined by their points. On my / \/ \/ \ kite (and Tom's) a framing string surrounds the kite. What \__/\__/\__/ I can't figure out is how he keeps the whole thing taut. / \/ \a On my kite, the edges flap on the outer open triangle (marked \__/\__/ with an 'a'). The inner open triangles are pretty good. b d I've studyed pictures of Randy Tom's kites and I think there might be a stiffener across the width of each of the smaller hexagon (e.g. from point a to point b). Can anyone confirm this? Maybe one of his kites will be at Wildwood in October. Just to be clear, there are three spars that pass through the centre of the kite. (One spar would go from point c to point d.) (I hope the picture is adequately clear.) I'm really fond of my kite. It's a pieced design in blues, purple, and a little bit of pink. People often come up to me and tell me that it almost looks like the sky shows through. They are always surprised when I tell them it does. It has a matching long flat tail. Karen reid@csri.toronto.edu = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 15 Aug 1994 11:12:35 -1000 From: kevin@hawaii.edu (Kevin Mayeshiro) Message-Id: Organization: University of Hawaii Subject: Re: seven-sisters-kite Bernhard Malle (bernhard.malle@dbag.ulm.daimlerbenz.com) wrote: : There I found two pictures of the seven-sisters-kite. Does anyone : knows something about the size of the kite or which spares with : which diameters were used? Are the seven sisters painted on the : ripstop or are they sewn with different colors? Wish this question was asked before the weekend, I saw the owner of that kite (Mike Montoya) on Saturday. Randy Tom made three of those kites. Don't know the exact measurements, but my guess would be that it is 6 feet in height. The colors are sewn using an applique technique. I have never attended one of Randy's applique workshops, but have heard that he layers all of the colors first, with black usually in the front. Hot tacks all of them together. (Also heard that he uses a really fine point tack for this.) Sews all of the layers together with his design. Then cuts out layers, from the front and back side, until only the desired color is left. If you take a close look at his work, you can see all of the layers. Some say that a lot of material is wasted using this technique, but it leaves some really nice black lines when viewed from the front. As stated above, I have never attended one of Randy's workshops so this is second hand information. Others can correct me if I an wrong. (I'd be interested in those corrections. :-) Cheers, - Kevin -- When posting, please keep quoted material to a minimum. rec.kites archive: ftp.hawaii.edu:/pub/rec/kites mirrors: ftp.uni-bremen.de:/pub/kites, ftp.funet.fi:/pub/misc/kites = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =