For my Interactive Design class, I was assigned to make a garment or accessory that utilizes a closed and unclosed circuit. To do this, we had to use some sort of metal closure to create a breakage in the circuit, that would then connect when closed. I decided to make a pair of shorts with LED's down the side, that would light up when the hook and eye closure is connected at the waistband.

Step 1: Initial Planning and Design

To start, I planned out a sketch, so that I could fully comprehend how the circuits would work and where they would go/end up. In the illustration, I show, with the red perforated lines, where the positive circuit flows; with the green, I show the negative circuit. At the top back of the waistband, I have two 3 volt coin batteries, so that there will be enough energy to flow through the entire circuit. The blue indicates the hook and eye closure.

The image with the copper tape shows how I planned out my circuit, in actuality. When I initially sewed the LED's, I did it all by hand. This proved to not work, for multiple reasons. Firstly, the conductive thread was not secure enough around the LED'S to have the energy flow through the circuit properly. Secondly, I did not have two coin batteries, and, therefore, did not have enough energy to flow through the whole circuit.

Step 2: Solution and Final Product

In the end, I used a bobbin with conductive thread in my sewing machine and sewed the LED's down. This made for a tighter circuit, and allowed the energy to flow better. I also added a second coin battery. The image and video footage are of the functional shorts.