This blog post is a continuation of my digital swatchbook. Click here to see my first post.
Planning
Button Switch
Materials
Green and purple felt
Conductive thread
Conductive fabric
Laser cut acrylic buttons
LED
Embroidery thread
Coin cell battery
Alligator clips
Process
Laser cut some buttons out of fun acrylic.
Prep LED by creating loops out of the legs. Note the anode/cathode orientation.
Here are the two completed pieces of this button.
Once I had all the pieces are prepped, I started with sewing the blue button onto the first piece of felt. The trick is that I ironed a piece of conductive fabric under the button. On the other piece of felt, I cut and embroidered a button hole and sewed in the LED. Again, I was sure to use two separate pieces of conductive thread on either end of the LED. And then I just spruced up this piece by adding another faux button and some more embroidery.
Interaction
Button the blue heart into the purple piece of felt and watch the LED illuminate.
Tips and Troubles
I could’ve mentioned this in a previous swatch, but it can get kind of hard to embroider through two pieces of material, like the felt with the conductive fabric on top. Also, I didn’t know how to embroider a button hole! It turned out disgusting!
Possible Futures
This was one of my favorite swatches. It felt super exciting to LASER CUT MY OWN BUTTONS?! Like that was the last thing I thought I would be doing on the laser cutter. Now I can make all the custom buttons my future projects will need.
Potentiometer
Materials
Blue felt
Conductive thread
Conductive fabric
Acrylic paint
Beads
Shrinkydink paper
Digital multimeter
Process
First I cut the felt and conductive fabric and ironed on the tabs and petals. I also painted the flower and double checked the petals would still be conductive with my DMM. I sewed the circuit around the edge of the felt and used a separate piece of conductive thread down the middle. I threaded some beads on the thread coming out of the middle and I made a bee bead using some shinky dink paper. I glued some more conductive fabric onto the back of the bee.
Interaction
As the bee travels around the petals of the flower the amount of metal or the length of the circuit increases the resistance of the sensor increases as well. It could also be used in a “tilt” scenario which might move the bee around the flower as well.
Tips and Troubles
I found that this tilt potentiometer was inconsistent at best. I did hook up my resistance meter to the leads of the sensor and got inconclusive readings. Also, the bee definitely needs to be pressed down onto the petals to get good contact, so I’m not really sure what I made would really work in a tilt situation…
Possible Futures
I don’t want to think about it, I couldn’t get mine to work lol
Tilt Sensor
Materials
Blue felt
Conductive thread
Conductive fabric
3 LEDs
Embroidery thread
Beads
Yellow yarn
Coin cell battery
Alligator clips
Process
Iron on conductive fabric and sew circuit with conductive thread. Don’t forget to add the LEDs and be sure that they are all in the same orientation.
Create a pom pom with some yarn and conductive thread. I followed this tutorial.
Finish up sewing the circuit and attach the conductive pom pom. Add some embroidery fluff for FUN!
Interaction
Move the pom pom from one sun spot to the next and watch the flowers “bloom”.
Tips and Troubles
Like with the potentiometer, the pom pom connection doesn’t really work unless there’s some pressure applied to it. Also making a pom pom wasn’t as easy as it looked to me at first!
Possible Futures
This is my favorite swatch I think! Also not really sure if this sensor works that well in a tilt context because textile/fabric kind of sticks to itself. Lots of friction. I loved making these embroidered swatches.