Death Kites

In Guatemala some traditional ceremonies include flying a kite on the Day of the Dead to send messages up to heaven. Here is a death kite recently flown to celebrate the life and departure of Louise (see "Unreasonable Fears "), accompanied by off-key voices singing "When You Wore a Tulip."

I have made this kite pattern for many occasions and it is quick, simple, and an absolutely guaranteed champion flier. You may make kites of your own using my free, downloadable instructions along with a blank kite pattern to which you may add any picture you like. 

Download using the following link: Death Kite Pattern and Template 

Click on image to see larger version.

Envision wedding guests flying kites with photos of the bride and groom; imagine celebrating a birth with a sky full of baby pictures. One of my most enjoyable times with this kite was making and flying them with a bunch of friends on the beach in Cabo San Lucas for a birthday celebration. Enjoy!

Geisha Kites

Unlikely as it seems, I appear to know something the Internet does not, at least as far as Google searches go. The subject is geisha kites: tiny, delicate, beautifully crafted little kites no more than a few inches across that fit into equally beautiful small lacquer cases that could be slipped into the geisha's kimono sleeve. Envision a group of geishas in a Japanese garden with a flock of colorful little kites flying a few feet above their heads.

How do I know about geisha kites? I have no idea. I have known about them for decades. That's why I made a few for myself several years ago so that I could relive the experience. The results are displayed below. I can fly these kites in my living room with the wind coming through the window.

The spools of thread in the pictures, used as reels for the kites, give you an idea of just how tiny these kites are.

Click on images to see larger version.

The kite above was made with tissue-thin Chinese joss paper.

The kite above was made from part of page from a Chinese astrology book; the tail is thin ribbon.

This final kite is also made of Chinese joss paper. Tail is thread and little joss paper triangles.

Struts for the kites are made of balsa wood, cut very thin with an X-Acto knife.

Now that the word is out, you too can make geisha kites. Just use any standard kite pattern or how-to instructions (which you can find on the Web) and scale down the measurements to create a kite no more than two inches long.