A Re-Modern Fancy Hat
CONCEPT
I was interested in created a non-woven material that incorporated a circuit and that also looked and felt elegant and delicate. My idea was to create a new veil piece for a hat from the 1940s that would incorporate 2 LEDs as decorative objects. New fuses with old.
MATERIALS
Angelina fibers, conductive thread, 2 (or more) LEDs, 3V battery, batter holder, needle, iron
PROCESS
After much testing, I discovered that thin conductive thread could in fact be fused within and among angelina fibers. In order to get a transparent material, I used a minimal amount of fibers, then laid out the circuit, which I had independently constructed by sewing together 2 LEDs and a 3V battery with conducive thread. I then carefully placed this circuit onto the laid fibers. I added another very thin layer of fibers, over the thread and in places that seemed too thin to fuse together. I then covered the fibers, circuit and LEDs with wax paper and ironed this, fusing the fibers, and locking the thread and LEDs into place.
LESSONS LEARNED
The materials I was using were very very delicate. Although my first prototype worked without a hitch, my final attempt with the fibers and LEDs I wanted to use did not go as smoothly. The thread's conductivity in some places was lost, and I had to use a X to figure out where the circuit had broken. Once I found where this was, I re-stitched new thread, bridging the non-conductive parts. This worked, and I did not find it detrimental to the over all aesthetic. If I had had more time and more fibers available, I would have redone the the veil until it worked, since I know from prototyping that it is possible.
Another constraint of time meant that I did make a switch. Thus, the LEDs on the veil are always on if the battery is in. Ideally, a simple pressure sensor or snap would function as the switch so that the battery could remain in the hat all the time, improving the usability and robustness of the hat.
