American Kitefliers Association

In this article, artist and AKA Member Linda Sanders

shares her first experiences with kite applique.

Kite Applique from ages past: While clearing out an area under our stairs, I discovered some stored memorabilia and wanted to share.

In 1998 I was running a small kite store where we made & sold a lot of our own work, but not very successfully.  By the end of that year we'd decided to pack the stock up and trade from home.  Then started working more as a kite workshopper in schools, and finally by 2004, became committed to manufacturing feather banners as business marketing tools.


On the quiet days in the shop (it was too small to be called a store, really...) I dabbled on the sewing machine which Kevin had insisted I should learn to use.  Bernina semi-industrial, far more advanced than my simple home-machine used for shortening kids' clothes, or hemming curtains.

Early in 1998, I sketched a scene, grabbed some scrap pieces of ripstop, and started sewing.  I knew to start with black on the bottom, up to the palest colour on top.  Cutting away the excess fabric was tricky - my scissors were far too big to fit into the tiny spaces.  So, I left some areas uncut.  In my haste, I cut something away which I shouldn't have.  Then had to "fix" it, leaving a mish-mash of hard-to-explain lines.  the sewn piece never made it into the sky, but I kept it as a reminder that we all have to start somewhere.