Embroidered Circuit

I created a simple LED circuit and covered the thread using embroidery! A simple approach to circuits but can end up in very beautiful paths

• Conductive thread
• LilyPad cell battery holder
• 3V cell battery
• 1 LED light
• Fabric of choice (I used muslin here)
• Embroidery thread
• Sewing needle
• Embroidery hoop

First off you need to sketch on paper what your intended end-goal is before you start messing around with wires. I initially wanted to do a more complex parallel circuit with six lights but the resistance and circuitry wasn't working properly. I instead moved towards a simple one LED circuit connected to power. The next step after that was to hide the conductive threading with embroidery, providing it with not only a protective measure but also an aesthetic gain.

Even though this is a very simple circuit, it is still important to test it to make sure that everything is working correctly and you don't have any dead batteries, LEDs, etc.

There are several different ways to go about embroidering flowers and leaves. I decided to move forward with a rose style for the flowers and a simple back stitch for the leaves.

These embroidery stitches were made to cover up the conductive thread to protect it against the elements. The circuit needs to be sewn first and then the embroidery is done after it.

Finally, fix any straggling and leftover thread on the back of the design and put your cell battery in the holder and enjoy your work!

If you want to take this further, ponder in your head how this can be used for real-life purposes. For this, this could be used as a nightlight for a young child. Having an LED lighting up a calming image of flowers and leaves can help ease a child's mind when trying to fall asleep, especially if they're afraid of the dark.