I’m told that one of the most popular projects at the CRAFT table at Maker Faire is our friend Becky Stern’s electronic embroidery. If you’re into crafting, all it takes is a little conductive thread and you can make your own fabric gadgets.
Becky posted an introduction to electronic embroidery on the CRAFT blog today and I think I just learned how to backstitch. Her introduction shows how to wire up a couple of LEDs and a switch, but there are a lot of directions to take this. Of particular interest is the LilyPad, a tiny sewable Arduino board that’s about the size of a half dollar. There are also various sensors designed around this platform, including sew-friendly accelerometers. There must be a good running jacket idea in there somewhere.
Electronic Embroidery – CRAFT Video Podcast
Conductive Thread and LilyPad Components at SparkFun
