Temari is an ancient Japanese folk art dating back more than 500 years. Temari means “hand” (te) “ball” (mari), relating to both making by and playing with the hands. Originally, balls for games and children were made from bits and scraps of kimono, other clothing, or deer hide. Strips of cloth or leather would be […]
This project uses simple electronics to create an alarm circuit for a shoulder bag. The key components are two 1/8″ headphone jacks with “normally closed” switches, which detect whether a plug is in the jack. Wiring two of these jacks in series with an alarm creates a circuit that activates when both plugs are removed. […]
Construct a basic long necktie with stripes to represent your favorite value of resistor – fashion inspired by the electronics bench! Learn to work with slippery fabrics cut on the bias.
Amaze your kids by transforming two old toilet rolls and a few other recycled bits and bobs into a cool steampunk-inspired robot. Amaze them even further by balancing your robot on the edge of a ruler, table, shelf, or even your finger. And then triple amaze them by rotating the arms and revealing the steel […]
Using this simple technique, you can etch a design into a thin pane of clear plastic sheeting, then enclose the edges of the plastic with reflective tape and embed a battery-powered LED. The resulting design appears backlit and hovering in mid-air, with a laser-like textured glow that photographs cannot do justice to. Check out more […]
Powering a TV remote with the sun means you won’t have to buy batteries every six months to surf from your sofa. Low-voltage devices that use power only occasionally, like remotes, are good candidates for a solar-powered trickle-charge. Here’s how we modded our remote to live off of the sun, using rechargeable batteries connected in parallel with a small solar cell and a diode to keep any power from trickling back out.
The first time I saw a knitted boot in a magazine, I was inspired to try my hand at replicating it. The plan was to transform a pair of existing high-heel pumps (that I bought and rarely wore) into a pair of knitted, knee-high mukluks that I would always wear. I knew I needed to […]
