DIY Kite decoration {Weekend Mini-Make}

I'm back with another Weekend Mini-Make: a quick craft you can complete over the weekend for less than a tenner. And even better than that, all my mini-makes are designed to be something beginners can try their hand at, whilst also being a relaxing, well-being boost. As I've mentioned before, I regularly turn to DIY and crafting when times get hard, so for me, having a creative outlet has become a vital part of my everyday life. I hope that these simple, cheap crafting ideas will inspire others to have a go, and see if it can make big changes in their life too.

Today I've been making some more bits and bobs for the new big girls nursery - a kite decoration, perfect for hanging on a wall, or above a cot. The good thing about this one is, not only did it cost me pennies to make, there's a few ways you could go about it, so if you're looking for a no-sew option you'll simply need a glue gun.

You will need: 

Fabric in as many different patterns as you like - I've gone simple with two different styles, in colours perfect for her room - a yellow striped linen and a peach coloured cotton. I got both off eBay, in half metre sizes (I didn't need anywhere near this much though, you could definitely get away with using fat quarters)
Fabric scissors
Pins
Needle & thread, sewing machine or glue gun - I actually ended up using all three at different points during this make!
Pencil
Tape measure 

Total spend: £9.48

How to make: 

Start off by making a template for the size kite you want to make - I've gone with an A4 sized one (nice and easy for printing a template!), so to go with the same as mine, simply print the following template out at A4.

Pin your paper template to your fabric, and cut out the fabric for each corner, adding an extra 1cm to each edge - which you'll need for sewing it all together. Repeat this for the back of the kite - for ease I went with one colour as the backing. You'll now have four corners for the front of the kite, and one complete kite shape for the back.

Now time to fix them together! Starting with the four corners to make up the front of the kite, fold over 1cm of fabric on all edges, and pin the corners together

No-Sew Option: If you're using a glue gun here there's no need to pin - just start gluing! Follow the same method as below, being careful of the glue as it can get really hot

Sew (or glue!) along the edges to attach them together. I started with the top half, then moved onto the bottom half. Once you've got your two halves, you can then sew the top and bottom together to make your complete front section.

Once the front of your kite is sewn together, you're then ready to stitch the front and back together. Place the sides face down, and sew (or glue!) all the way around. Remember to leave a small gap just before you've finished, to allow you to turn it inside out, and close up the gap whilst turned the right way out. To prevent stitching showing, and to give a neater look, I used the glue gun to close the gap rather than hand stitching.

You're now ready to attach the tail to the bottom of the kite - simply cut a length of ribbon (mine is 60cm long), and either stitch or stick to the base of the kite. Do the same at the top of the kite with a smaller piece of ribbon to create a hook to hang from.

How to make the bows

These are so much easier than you'd think to make - you simply need to cut out two rectangle sections of fabric - one measuring 12cm x 11cm, and the other 5cm x 3cm (1). The larger section will create the main part of the bow, with the smaller piece wrapping around it to finish it off.

You could hand stitch or use a sewing machine to make the bows, however for ease I used the glue gun, which worked just as well, and was probably quicker.

Start with the larger section of fabric, and fold it over lengthways, with the nice side facing down. Apply a thin line of glue (2) and stick the two sides together, so you've now got a tube of fabric with either end open. Roll so the seam is now in the middle of the tube facing upwards (3) 

Fold either end of the tube over, and glue down so you're left with a piece of fabric sealed at all ends (4). Repeat the same process with the smaller piece of fabric (5) Taking the larger rectangle in your hand, pinch the middle to form a bow shape (6). Secure with a piece of embroidery thread simply by wrapping around to hold the bow shape in place (7). To finish off your bow, wrap the smaller tube around the centre, hiding the embroidery thread, securing with the glue gun (8/9).

To finish off, use the glue gun to stick your bows to the ribbon at short intervals - I've got 10cm between each bow. Then hang your kite on the wall with some picture hooks, or small nails.

Please note - this is for decorative purposes only, and is not a toy, so hang high enough away from inquisitive little fingers.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and simple DIY - let me know if you make one, I'd love to see! And I'll be back next week with another quick relaxing, craft perfect for completing over the weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx

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