Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event

We hope to see you at Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event Feb 28-Mar2, 2025 at the Lorado Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL www.u-make.org 16 instructors presenting 15 different classes

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is very excited to present Waters Squairform 16 Parafoil! Darryl wanted a square parafoil with a huge surface and no inner keels to get in the way of graphics. It is a light pulling kite that handles turbulent winds with a bridle that is easily adjustable. And it is stackable! So much to love! Students will bring their own front panel to create a unique kite! See you at U-MAKE 2025!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is excited to welcome back Craig Rodgerson who will be presenting a great beginning sew project---the Dice Cube! Craig will demonstrate a nifty jig technique for hemming and the die spots are all insignia cloth, so no applique to stress new sewers out! Join us at U-MAKE 2025 February 28, 2025 to March 2, 2025 Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is happy to announce 4 more instructors for 2025, presenting 3 more classes! Mary Pat McManmon is presenting a class combining her tricks, tips and expertise on banner pole care (especially on sand!), Christi Mercier will be presenting a great No Sew LED JellyFish, and Steve Anderson and Mike Stephenson will be teaming up to present Tints, Shades and Textures--a hands on class on dying fabric based on Shibori Tie Dye Techniques. U-MAKE 2025 February 28, 2025 to March 2, 2025 Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event will be welcoming back Donna Holtz Schenk with Etching Magic and Mike Dertien with a great class covering the basics of kitebuilding, seam allowances, reinforcements, pockets, tabs, understanding kite plans and making adjustments! U-MAKE 2025 February 28, 2025 to March 2, 2025

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event welcomes Pierre Marzin with his Ammonia Kite! Join us at U-MAKE February 28-March 2, 2025 at the Lorado Taft Field Campus Oregon, IL

The Ammonia is a 3-D kite derived from Pierre's Eclipse kite. Pierre started designing a family of circle based kites in 2010. The Ammonia was made for Cervia Artevento 2024.

Want a huge statement kite that assembles in less than 2 minutes and adjusts for different wind speeds? Join Phil Broder Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event Feb 28-Mar 2, 2025 to make his Jumbo Hata!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event welcomes new instructor Amie Flexner Ritchie who will share Kumihimo Braiding. Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform and craftwork for making braids and/or cords. Amie will introduce both flat and round braiding techniques and how you can incorporate these braids to kite apparel or kites and/or kite bags! Feb 28-March 2, 2025 at the Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is excited to welcome back Scott Skinner with a great No Sew project! Feb 28-Mar 2, 2025! Oregon, IL

U-MAKE is thrilled to have Holm Struck back to present two great classes! Join us February 28-March 2, 2025!

U-MAKE is excited to welcome Jon Trennepohl presenting his Suspended Wing Delta! Join us Feb 28-March 2, 2025 at Oregon, IL! Jon developed the kite 10 years ago and won the People's Choice Award at the AKA Convention in 2014! Jon changed up the graphics and presented a new version at the Maryland Kite Society Winter Kite Retreat 2024 and will be presenting the Suspended Wing Delta at Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event 2025!

U-MAKE February 28, 2025 to March 2, 2025 at the Lorado Taft Campus in Oregon, IL......just a few more instructors and projects to confirm! Reserve the dates and we will see you soon! Website will be updated soon. Guess who will be back to present a class?

Thinking about attending Oregon Kitemakers Retreat? 2025 will have Linda Sanders as an instructor!

And, it begins again!
Prepping now for a workshop in Oregon USA in January 2025.
First... pattern #1. (And currently working on pattern #2.)

Thinking about attending Oregon Kitemakers Retreat? 2025 may be your year since Linda Sanders will be one of the instructors!

And, it begins again!
Prepping now for a workshop in Oregon USA in January 2025.
First... pattern #1. (And currently working on pattern #2.)

Kite of the Day - Thursday April 25th, 2024

In celebration of National Kite Month, we’re featuring a Kite of the Day throughout the month of April. For today’s kite we go back to the 44th Artevento Cervia in Italy for more Pink Flamingos. These are from the kitebuilding workshop by Alicja Szalska. We’re familiar with the detailed kits that Alicja makes and we love the variety of artwork. Well done, everyone!

Clifford J Quinn presented the CrossDeck! 2024

Tony Killip is presenting a masterclass on foils! Are you signed up?

Get ready for an immersive Kite Building Workshop with Tony Killip, a seasoned professional in kite design and construction. Assisted by the Wings on Strings Kite Club. Embark on this creative journey with Tony and craft your own Killip Foil 30 – a 30 square foot kite that's not only visually stunning but also a delightful flyer. Register now to secure your spot! Learn more and register before April 1st on our website https://jamestownarts.com today!

Wishing the best time for those attending Fort Worden Kitemakers Conference! Fun!

2024 Group Photo! U-MAKE 2025 will be February 28, March 1, 2
at the Taft Campus in Oregon, IL.

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event 14 instructors offering 17 Classes

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event March 1-3, 2023 starts Friday evening, and extends to Sunday at 4PM. Registration will include dorm room lodging Friday and Saturday nights, and wonderful food from Friday evening to Sunday lunch.

A mix of kite related classes will be available; sew, no sew and theory. Classes will start Friday evening and continue Saturday and Sunday with some all day classes, some ½ day, some longer classes held at Lorado Taft Field Campus in Oregon, IL.

2024 has 14 instructors offering 17 different classes.

Ben Huggett -- No Sew Delta Conyne
Cliff Quinn -- Classic Crossdeck
Donna Schenk -- It's In The Bag!
Ed Grys -- Trash Bag Delta
Folke Gfrörer -- EightSquares
Glenn Davison -- Create Your Own Kite Designs
Glenn Davison -- Miniature Folded Paper Kites
Mike Dertien -- Design Transfer
Paul Fieber -- Prairie Bird Glider
Paul Fieber -- Wind Serpent
Ron Gibian -- Starlight
Sandy Petry -- Rocking the Kite World
Sandy Petry -- Kite Cup Cozy
Steve Anderson -- Color Theory Mini Banner
Steve Ferrel -- What It Takes To Make An Award Winning Kite
Tony Killip -- The Art of Bridling Soft Kites
Cliff Quinn Folke Gfrörer Ron Gibian Steve Ferrel -- Kite Building Panel

Ask three kitemakers a question---get 4 answers! Always at least one more 'BEST" way of doing something! Attend this great Kite Building Panel and get opinions from these great kitemakers! Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is always happy to welcome Schenk! This year Donna will be presenting a basic kite sleeve/bag class with different options for closures and discussions on ways to help store your kites and those loose spars that get lost! Theory or you can sew examples!

Join us for great theory classes at Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event! Mike Dertien will talk about methods of transferring a design on your kite skin. Anderson will be presenting a Color Theory class and helping use info from the class to make a Mini Banner. Tony Killip will be offering a class on the Art of Bridling Soft Kites! So much knowledge you can take away from a kite retreat!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is looking forward to having Grys present King's version of the Trash Bag Delta. This is a great No Sew kite that is light enough to be an indoor flier, but sturdy enough to fly outside, too. It is an inexpensive, easily sourced kite for kitemaking with Scouts, schools, churches or any group! We also are lucky enough to have Petry who will present two more choices for No Sew projects!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is excited that Davison will be joining us March 1-3, 2024 with two different amazing classes! Create Your Own Kite Designs--an great class exploring different methods of kite design. You'll go home with a few new designs that you create yourself, even if you're not a wildly creative person. Each student will create something different from the others. Something new. Could it be rigid, soft, asymmetrical, big, or small? Yes.
In Glenn's class you won't build kites in class, but through experimentation you'll see that it's easier than you think to create NEW designs that are simple or imaginatively complex. In Glenn's second class you will learn to build a variety of miniature kites! Sign up for Miniature Folded Paper Kites!

Did you miss the chance of taking Ben Huggett's Delta Conyne in 2023? Ben is bringing this great kite back as a NO SEW! Join us at Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event March 1-3, 2024!

Upper Midwest Area Kitemaking Event is excited to welcome back Gibian to present his Starlight or Hoshikiari (Starlight in Japanese) Ron's great platform, but your unique sail! March 1-3rd, 2024!

This is a Fundraiser organized by the owner of Maui Toy Works (Kite store destroyed in Hawaii wildfires) for their employees, many who have lost both their home and their livelihood. Please support our kiting family if you are able to, and share this post.

Help Our Maui Toy Works Employees After Fire, organized by Robert Loera Aloha friends, patrons... Robert and Barbara Loera opened their Maui To… Robert Loera needs your support for Help Our Maui Toy Works Employees After Fire

We are SUPER EXCITED that Ferrel will be coming to 2024 U-MAKE! Steve will be presenting his slideshow discussion on What It Takes to Make An Award Winning Kite! This is the only class being presented Friday Evening so make sure that you take advantage of it!