I am getting ready for my first NYC runway show, the Fairytale Fashion Show, on Feb. 24th at Eyebeam. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be writing about some of the preparations, on CRAFT and here at Make: Online. This show will be of the technology fashion collection developed at FairytaleFashion.org, where technology is used to turn make-believe into reality.
While working with little girls on the Fairytale Fashion project, I found that all girls wanted the magic of sparkles. One girl describe this as a dress that “sparkles like Edward” (reference to Twilight).
Inspired by the LilyPad, and the wishes of little girls, Dave Clausen and I created the Twinkle Pad, a board made specifically for sewable LEDs, to create the Fairytale Fashion designs. Twinkle Pad has a ATmega48 microcontroller and resistor banks on one side and a battery on the other. To create a good connection between the board and sewn circuit, we use plated through holes. I like to sew with a size 7 needle and the conductive thread from Lame Lifesaver, so we made the holes a bit bigger. There are four connections to ground around the board so that we can create a variety of patterns.
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