Brainstorming
For my first experience with making a circuit I thought it would be cool to integrate all of the circuit parts into the aesthetic of the deisgn. Since the battery hookup needs to be accessible and yet is probably the first part that a textile artist would want to hide, it inspired me to create an elementary scene where the battery would be "parkable" in a 2-D picture. I wanted to keep it really simple as a novel exercise in circuit-building meshed with sewing.
Creation
I first hand-sewed the sensor on to my backing fabric and had to make sure it could function as an on/off switch.
Oh no! The sensor is on without touch!
The issue was that some of the conductive threads pulled through the neoprene, so I had to take it apart and re-sew it more carefully.
The second problem I had was that I proceeded to sew two LEDs to the house; not only were they initially connected in the wrong direction, but I also realized that the 3V battery could not support both the red and blue lights at once so I had to stick with just one.
Completed Scene
Back detail - kind of messy
Woohoo! It works!
Future Usage
The nice thing about this flexible fabric patch is its versatility - it could be tacked to the wall, sewn onto a tote bag, or added on to a boring shirt. Although it's flimsy and the stitches aren't too neat, it was a rewarding practice in new textile creation and I am looking forward to doing more complicated circuit designs in the future.