Black Cat Kite Applique

Materials:

3/4-ounce weight nylon ripstop fabric in desired colors
design pattern of your choice
pencil
sewing machine
scissors or rotary cutter
cotton/polyester blend thread
#11 needles for applique sewing
#14 or #16 for reinforcement
hot tacker or electronic soldering tool
craft or utility knife
seam ripper

Preparing the fabric

1. Select the design you would like to applique on your kite. Artwork can be original or from any copyright-free source.

2. Select the shape and size of the kite to which you will be applying the applique. You may want to model yours after one of the standard traditional kite shapes from around the world.

3. Select the colors for your kite. Bold, contrasting colors look best in the sky, and a 3/4-ounce nylon ripstop material works best for applique. Keep in mind that black is a great color to use as a background since it "matches" nearly every other color. HGTV guest kite expert Jose Sainz used black as the background for his cat kite, pink as a second background color, blue for the moon, green for the cat's eyes and black for the cat.

4. Draw the kite shape on a white sheet of paper, and add a 1/2-inch hem allowance all the way around. Draw or trace the artwork within the shape of the kite (figure A).

5. Select the lightest color material to be used on the kite (pink) and cut a piece to the shape of the kite. Place this piece over the artwork pattern sheet and use a lead pencil to trace the artwork (second background) on the material (figure B). Repeat this process with the blue, then green and then black.

6. Cut the different colored material shapes approximately 3/4 inch larger all the way around than the shapes themselves (figure C), (figure D).

7. Allowing for a 1/2-inch hem, cut a piece of black material to the actual shape of the kite. Use for the background color.

8. Place the black piece of material flat on top of the table (figure E).

9. Lay the pre-cut pink material on top of the black material and tape the top of both pieces together (figure F).

10. Slide the other colored pieces of material between the black and pink material, and place it directly under and totally covering the desired shape (figure G).

11. Hold the material down with your hand and begin "hot tacking" the material together along the pencil line (figure H) . Use the sharp, hot tip of a wood-burning tool to tack the material together approximately every inch. The material is now ready for sewing.

Sewing the kite

1. Place the material down on the sewing table as flat as possible. Place the sewing foot directly over the pencil line and follow it as a guide. Use the tips of your finger to hold the material down flat and to guide the material through the sewing machine.

2. Use a zigzag stitch approximately 1/8 inch wide and 20 stitches per inch, and sew the largest continuous shape first (figure I). This will help hold the material down and prevent shifting and puckering while you sew.

3. Finish sewing all the shapes in place and make sure to backstitch at the end of every shape to lock in the thread.

4. Trim away the largest pieces of material from the side on which you have been sewing. Pinch the material together with your finger and thumb and separate the layers of material. While holding the material pinched, cut a small slit (figure J).

5. Using small, pointed scissors, continue the slit to the edge of the stitch. Begin pressure cutting against the stitch by slightly angling the point of the scissors away from the stitch at the same time applying slight forward pressure against the stitch (figure K).

6. Trim away the small pieces by lifting and separating the material using the sharp point of a craft or utility knife, and continue trimming with scissors as described above.

7. When you are done trimming the back of the kite, turn it over and trim away the black material from the front of the kite (figure L).