Hi, Burke,
I'll send a few scraps for you to practice on - both 3/4 oz nylon and some 1/2 polyester. You might could make some interesting patchwork tails from the scraps.
Another good place to look for sewing hints, not necessarily applique technique, is Gary Engvall's Sewing 101 page. Click on this link >>
http://www.geocities.com/gengvall/sew/sew.html << to go there. He's also got some links to plans on his site.
Good luck on your new adventure. And welcome to another "dark" side of kiting!