Squairform 16 Parafoil 

Presented by Darryl Waters  Zeeland, MI

TYPE OF CLASS:   Sew

SKILL LEVEL:  Intermediate to Advanced Skill Level

SAIL:  Students bring their own front sail--51"x51"

CLASS SIZE:  Class Size - 12

TIMES OFFERED:  Offered Once 

SIZE: 4 Foot x 4 Foot

WIND RANGE: 6-25+ MPH

CLASS LENGTH:  Friday Night, All Day Saturday  

NO EXTRA KITS AVAILABLE

SEWING CLASS ---PRESENTED ONCE!  

To complete this project you MUST start Friday Night and sew 2-3 hours Friday to finish Saturday  

CLASS PRICE-- $65 US Kit includes all fabric, reinforcements and bridle EXCEPT 51x51 inch front sail panel provided by each student.

 SUPPLIES NEEDED:  Other than standard sewing supplies, I strongly recommend the use of a 1/4 inch quilting or straight stitch foot (or two--one modified for sewing reinforcement lines!) for your sewing machine and LOTS of prewound bobbins.   

The Squairform Parafoil flew at Fano 2024 and was rock solid during variable winds.  Grant Lovett and others attending were really impressed with the Squairforms performance!  And such a platform for graphics!!!

This is a flowform style parafoil I developed to satisfy two main design goals.  First, I wanted one that was square, not rectangular.  I’ve never seen a square parafoil before and wanted something different.  Second, I wanted a parafoil that had no inner keels to get in the way of graphics.  The end result is the Squairform.  This is a great introduction to sewing a parafoil style of kite for those who have never done it before.  It’s a manageable size for sewing, and flies better than I had ever hoped for.  It’s a light pulling kite that handles turbulent winds very well, and can be easily flown by hand, or staked down.  The Squairform has a novel bridle that is easily adjustable to correct for any leaning or misbehaving.

Since I designed this kite for better display of graphics, I want to make use of that for the class.  Students will need to make a front panel ahead of time with whatever graphics they want.  The panel needs to be at least 51”x51” square.  It can be as simple as just a solid color, but I would suggest getting creative: dye sublimation printed, tie-dyed, random patchwork, a fully appliqued masterpiece.  Let your imagination run wild (I don’t recommend painting though).  Friday night, we’ll trim the sail to the correct size and get it marked up for sewing.  Please plan on getting to the campus in enough time to do this so you have enough time to finish the sewing on Saturday.  All other parts for the kite will be included in the kit including tail material and storage bag.

This kite involves some technical sewing including sewing curved edges to straight lines, and sewing reinforcement line directly to the fabric.  This isn’t hard, but might be a little intimidating if you’ve never done it before.  I’ll provide some practice pieces to try it out before committing to the final project.  This kite is entirely sewn with a straight stitch and uses 1/4 inch hems and seam allowances throughout.  I strongly recommend getting a 1/4 inch quilting foot (also known as a straight stitch foot) for your machine if you don’t have one.  It will make assembly much easier as you can use the edge of the foot as your guide for all the seams.  And if you have a second foot, I can show you how to modify one of them to make sewing down the reinforcement line even easier.

Color Choices:

The back panel and inside ribs will be white fabric to allow maximum light to illuminate the front.  Color selection for the outside ribs and keels will be made later to give students time to think about their front panel design, and choose an appropriate color to match.