Textiles

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CHALLENGE

Create something that includes an LED that illuminates as a result of sewing a circuit with conductive thread or connecting directly to the battery.

EXTRA CREDIT

Design and integrate an on-off switch.

Pin Tutorial with Close-Ups Non-Sewing GMAIL
Gmail Felt Pin Tutorial - Sewing Version

No-Sew Tutorial

Materials

Supplies

Felt Squares, Foam Shapes (sticky back), LED, Sewable Battery Holder, Coin Cell Battery, Safety Pin, Pliers, Permanent Marker

Step 1

  • With a permanent marker, color the shorter leg of the LED and the NEGATIVE side of the battery holder as shown.

Step 2

  • Arrange your design on the felt square with the stickers.
  • Poke the legs of the LED into the stickers to the other side.

Step 3

Here is the front, after pushing the LED legs through the layers to the other side.

Step 4

Bend the LED legs so they lay flat on the back of the felt.

Step 5

With pliers (or your fingers, bend about ½” up to a right angle.

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 6

  • Poke the leg through the hole on the battery holder.
  • Make a bend in the other leg, where it will fit in the other hole.

Step 7

  • Poke this leg into the hole in the battery holder.

Step 8

  • With your fingers, bend the legs so they lay flat on the felt.

Step 9

  • Take your coin cell battery and look for the plus sign (+)
  • This is the positive side of the battery.

Step 10

  • Slide the battery under the “backwards E”
  • Press down to snap it into place.

Step 11

Attach a safety pin, to attach to a hat, coat, shirt, etc.

TA DA!

Did the LED Illuminate? Follow these troubleshooting steps:

  • Check + and - polarity - make sure positive goes to positive and negative goes to negative.
  • Do you have a dead battery?
  • Faulty LED?

Advanced Version - Using Conductive Thread

Supplies

Felt Squares, Foam Shapes (sticky back), LED, Sewable Battery Holder, Coin Cell Battery, Safety Pin, Pliers, Permanent Marker, Sewing Needle and Conductive Thread

Step 1

Plan your design.

Step 2

Poke the LED through the felt.

Step 3

  • The longer wire is POSITIVE.
  • Use the needle-nose pliers to roll up the wire into a small circle.

Step 4

  • The shorter wire is NEGATIVE.
  • Use the pliers to roll the wire into a larger circle (so you can remember that it is the negative wire).

Step 5

  • Determine which side of the battery holder is the NEGATIVE side.
  • Mark this side with a marker so you can easily see which side is negative.

Step 6

  • Sew the battery holder to the felt with conductive thread, aligning the POSITIVE side to the POSITIVE wire on the LED.
  • Wrap the conductive thread several times around the circle, and fasten off.

Step 7

  • Repeat Step 6 on the NEGATIVE side.

Step 8

  • Insert battery + side UP.
  • If LED does not illuminate, check your connections and adjust as necessary. Re-sewing is OK - don't feel bad!

Step 9

  • Attach the pin-back at the top.
  • Wrap the conductive thread several times around the circle, and fasten off.

Step 10

  • Admire your work and adjust as necessary.

TA DA!

Gallery Walk

Additional Resources:

Materials Needed (sources are hyperlinked)