Glow Beadwork: project materials and instructions
The Glow Beadwork project incorporates sewing, beadwork, and electronics to create an illuminated appliqué that can be sewn onto a piece of clothing, made into a bracelet, or added to a decorative sewing project.
Photos and comments on this page are supplemental to the pattern and instructional diagrams included with the project kit.
01: Beadwork
Set up the beadwork area: place the beads on a cloth so that they don't roll around
(a folded t-shirt works great, as pictured).
To pick up the beads, hold the needle parallel to the table, point it at the center of the bead you want,
and press gently, flipping the bead up onto the needle.
Hold the mesh firmly while making new loops.
You can flip the mesh over between rows to suit your right-handed or left-handed-ness.
The finished floral mesh.
02: LEDs & Circuit
Bend the "legs" of the LED into small loops - leave a "tail" on the side with the longer leg, so you will be able to identify it later.
Hold the legs of the LED firmly near the top and make a series of short bends. It doesn't have to look perfect - it will be covered with the beadwork.
Stitch tightly and knot on both sides to ensure good contact.
Leave a "tail" on the side with the longer leg, so you will be able to identify it later.
Keep all conductive paths separate.
The back of the circuit.
About the circuit:
For this project, the LEDs will need approximately 40-65 Ohms of resistance each,
and the conductive thread creates 6.8 Ohms of resistance per inch: do the math,
and that gives us 5-9 inches of thread. Consider that there will be an inch of thread
connecting the battery pocket and the circuit paths,
so each circuit path should be between 4-8 inches long.
Waterproofing:
Conductive thread can lose its conductivity by getting wet often:
keep your glow beadwork dry or make the circuit
water-resistant
by coating it with
puffy fabric paint
or
iron-on adhesive.
03: Battery Pocket
Knots should be large enough to make a good connection with the battery.
You can enforce the knots with a few short stitches to add connectivity.
Test it! Match the power (+) and ground (-) threads of the
battery pocket and circuit,
hold the threads together with tape,
put the battery in the pocket, and make sure the LEDs light up.
Troubleshooting:
Make sure the power (+) and ground (-) sides are matched up all the way along,
from the LED to the battery. In this example, the power (+) is along the top, and
the ground (-) is along the bottom.
Make sure the battery fits snugly in the pocket, and that the knots are touching
the battery enough to make a good connection.
Make sure all of the thread ends are clipped short, and that no loose
conductive fibers are crossing threads.
04: Appliqué
The finished battery pocket.
power (+) on the back and ground (-) on the front.
Sew the beadwork on top of the LEDs:
place the beadwork mesh over the LED such that the light spreads out across it.
05: Construction
Fold the fabric over the back of the applique, so that it covers the stitching.
Fold a 1/2" seam along the bottom.
Hold the seam in place by creasing it or securing it with pins or tape.
(To get a good crease, place a heavy object over the folded seam and take a break.)
Sew along the edges.
Sew hooked velcro patches above and below the battery pocket.
Sew soft velcro patches on the underside of the bracelet, placing them so
that they will match the hooked sides of the velcro when the bracelet is on your wrist.
Sew a non-conductive pocket on the inside for battery storage.
Finished bracelet, in the light...
Finished bracelet, in the dark.
About Glow Beadwork
LEDs and translucent beads have a symbiotic relationship: at night, LEDs illuminate the elegant detail of beadwork that would otherwise be overlooked, while in daytime, a decorative beaded mesh obscures the unlit LED from sight and protects it from getting bent or caught on things.
This pattern makes use of the directional light from LEDs, reflecting it off of a background of satin fabric, and dispersing the light through a translucent beaded mesh.
The illuminated "star-flower" design by Laura Cesari was inspired by decorative arts and ornamental fashion, and by desginers who manage to fuse the two: Issey Miyake's accessible patterns and love for wearable technology, John Galliano's infamously decadent ornamental designs for Dior, and Alberta Ferretti's laissez-faire bohemian looks.
Links & Resources
More Information about LEDs and Soft Circuits:
Instructables: LEDs for beginners
basic tutorial about how to work with LEDs
Instructables: Top 10 LED Projects
various tutorials for LED projects
Current Limiting Resistance Calculator for LEDs
calculate online how much resistance an LED needs
Conductive Thread from SparkFun
this is the 2-ply thread that is used in the Glow Beadwork kit - there is also a 4-ply
thread available which creates less resistance
Water Resistance Techniques:
Instructables: Fused Fabrics and Conductive Thread
Instructables: Fabric Paint Covering Conductive Thread
More Wearable LED Projects:
CraftZine: LED Firefly Baby Booties
you know... for kids!
Instructables: LED Pants
this tutorial uses wire instead of conductive thread.
Instructables: Turn Signal Biking Jacket
an excellent advanced application of wearable LEDs!
General Resources for Wearable Electronics:
I Heart Switch
lovely LED purse tutorial and other electronic wearables
Fashioning Technology
this book has tutorials on wearable and home electronics
Electronic Crafts.org
a general resource for soft circuits and other electronic projects
LilyPad
program a wearable microcontroller to create advanced projects
Questions & Comments
Please fill out the form below with any questions you might have.
Comments, feedback, or suggestions are also greatly appreciated.