How to Sew With Conductive Thread With Diana Eng

Combining Electricity and Fashion!

Degree of Difficulty: Still learning
Time length: 45 minutes

Materials: garment for sewing, conductive thread, scissors, two LEDS, CR2032 watch battery, BS7 battery holder, disappearing ink pen, needle-nose pliers, regular thread, wire cutters, and a sewing needle

Step 1: Trace the Pattern

Trace pattern onto your garment with your disappearing ink.

Step 2: Prep the Battery Holder

Break the leads off of the battery holder by grabbing them with pliers and bending them back and forth until they break (usually located on the bottom of the battery holders)

Step 3: Prep the LEDs

On the LEDs, cut the shorter lead to be about a half an inch and the longer lead to be 3/4 inch in length.

Bend the leads straight up so the LED can lay flat.

Use the needle nose pliers to curve the lead into a circle.

Repeat Step 3 on other LED

Step 4: Sew the Circuit

Place the battery holder with the positive side matching the pattern.

With a single strand of conductive thread, knotted at the end, start sewing down the battery holder on the positive side.

Wrap the conductive thread around the positive prawn tags for a strong connection by looping it around and going back down the same hole in the battery holder.

Repeat by sewing around the positive prawn tag once more.

Step 5: Sew Along the Pattern

Stitch the conductive thread along the positive line on the pattern, making the top stitch as visible as possible.

Step 6: Sew on the LEDs

When you get to the robot's mouth start sewing on the LEDs as the robot's eyes.

Stitch on the larger loop which is the positive side of the LED by stitching over and under around the loop, wrapping the conductive thread around the lop.

Sew across to make the rest of the mouth pattern and then repeat sewing the positive side of the LED on the other eye.

Once the two eyes are sewed on know the thread in the back.

Step 7: Sew the Negative Circuit

Similar to steps 2-6, sew the negative part of the circuit.

Start by sewing conductive thread through and around the negative prawn tag of the battery holder.

Sew the conductive thread following the negative part of the pattern.

When you get to the top of the robot's head attach the conductive thread to the top of the LEDs b sewing in and around the smaller loop of the LEDs