Lynn's Basket Weave "Rev"

[Jim Foster]

Here are two photos of Lynn's new kite. One is the back side of the right "wing" as it sits on the paper pattern. The left side is a mirror image. All of the seams are double folded and stitched using white thread and the three stitch zig zag. The outside edge will be stitched after the rest of the sail is together.

The other photo is the bottom corner with the corner brace in place. Yes, we used white for the brace, not black.

[Mike]

Nice! Lots of fine sewing.
Have you held it up to a window to see how it looks with the sun coming through?

[Jim Foster]

Nice! Lots of fine sewing.
Have you held it up to a window to see how it looks with the sun coming through?

Just held it up to the window. With the light coming through it, it looks like red stripes with little white squares. In most light it looks like what it is.

We are trying something very different for the white stars. Have never seen it before. If it works out like we hope, I think it will be the high point of the kite. Will let you know. Maybe tomorrow.

[Jeepster]

I kept waiting for you to explain what Lynn was going to do to fill the holes. So, I used "lattice work" to search the REV site for Ben's kite. Hmmm. Found out, you're not going to fill the holes! That will really be one vented kite. How do you expect it to fly? What wind speed is it designed to handle? Where did the first idea for this unique kite come from?

I have to marvel at the thought that has been put into laying out this kite. Edge "weaves" are the same width as the other "weaves". The sewing is continuous with no start-stops in the middle ... that alone is amazing. Spacing is even. All the hems look even. WOW! And, in my ignorance, I've probably missed several other difficult to do items that would stand out if they were done wrong.

Please pass on to Lynn that I'm very impressed with her work ... actually, I'm in awe!

[Jim Foster]

Lynn and I both flew Ben's kite at Kite Party, as did Mike and some others. It flies very nice and is as smooth as silk. Don't know who made Ben's or where they got the idea. Ours will be a little different. shhhh vents through the center as well!

As for how much wind it will handle, well, when the sand starts blowing across the beach, we're done, no matter what the kite can take. But I would think 28-30 would be no problem. Don't know. We made it because of the smooth way it flies.

Jeepster, you pretty well got the difficult areas handled. There are a couple of others, but you haven't seen that part of the kite yet. Maybe later today.

[Jim Foster]

Lynn got the stars finished. Here are photos. Front, with light on the front, one star from the front, and one star from the back.
Can only put three photos with each post, so the last is in the next post.

[Jim Foster]

Here is a photo with the stars held up to the window with nearly no light on the front. Yup, the stars are vents.

We are now working on the Leading edge. More photos later.

[Mike]

Lynn: helluva nice job on the sewing!

I like the look of the vented stars. It may cut down on your forward drive, but then you're looking for smoooooth sailing. I figure this kite will handle gusty winds like butter.

Are you going to enter it in any competitions? Maybe go to Nationals? The construction and details look top-notch to me.

[Mux11]

This is amazing!!! and very inspiring. any thought on being commissioned to make one for others?
Really like the design!

[Jeepster]

... one star from the back ...

When I was young and I looked down the train tracks, it always looked like they came together in the distance. When I look at the backside of the stars - especially the lower right point - it looks like the zig-zag stick comes to a point. Is that an optical illusion, or did Lynn really reduce the width of the stickes as they came to each point?

[Jim Foster]

... one star from the back ...

When I was young and I looked down the train tracks, it always looked like they came together in the distance. When I look at the backside of the stars - especially the lower right point - it looks like the zig-zag stick comes to a point. Is that an optical illusion, or did Lynn really reduce the width of the stickes as they came to each point?

No. As she comes to each point she makes several needle down stops and turns the work so that her next stitch will fall just where she wants it, making one needle down stop just outside the point.

[Jim Foster]

Well, here it is. Just finished the rigging. It's too late to head for the park today, but tomorrow looks good.

[Mike]

Awesome! Now we need a shot in the air so we know it's a real kite.

[Frodos Majik]

Simply AMAZING Lynn!!!!!!

[Hector Herrera]

!!! MAGNIFICENT !!! IT'S ABSOLUTELY...BEAUTIFUL.

NICE WORK, LYNN, SUPER NICE WORK.


The sewing it's "impecable".

Congratulations.

[Jim Foster]

Well, here it is in flight.

[Jim Foster]

Here's the kite sleeve.

[Jeepster]

Here's the kite sleeve.

What, no matching shirts and shorts?

In this day of disposable "stuff", it's a pleasure to watch an artist develop something truely new and unique. I should have expected a kite sleeve like this one ... it's just exactly the type of "doodling" that people who take pride in their craftsmanship do for a finish touch. Thank Lynn for her work and for sharing it with us.

Cheers,
Tom

[Jim Foster]

Tom

The matching kite sleeve thing all started with the first kite we made in October, 2004, the "Flame Quad" that we call "Flames".
I used a large piece of white rip stop to learn how to lay out the flames and paint them. When the kite was finished, Lynn asked "Where's that piece of scrap you used to learn to paint?" I went to the garage and got it out of the trash and gave it to her.

Since then, Lynn makes a matching sleeve for every kite we make.

The real benifit is that you know what kite is in the sleeve. That's handy.

You can find the flamed sleeve and other work Lynn has done further down in this "Sewing" topic.

More of Lynn's Detail
Detail of Lynn's Work
Flame Quad
Modifying Our New Rev

These posts are over a year old, but you might enjoy them.

[Jim Foster]

This is amazing!!! and very inspiring. any thought on being commissioned to make one for others?
Really like the design!

Sorry, no chance.

It's too much work, and we certainly don't want to tarnish the nice relationship we have with Joe, Lolly and Ben at Revolution Kites.

The only thing we would consider would be modifications to your existing genuine Revolution, and chances of that aren't really good either at this time.

We only make a kite when we can't buy it. We only modify a kite to make it "our own"