I’ve been making a new conductive fabric from Silverell conductive thread and white silk organza.   Testing the resistance with my Fluke multimeter.   A detail of the French knots shows that the Silverell conductive thread gets twisted and doesn’t consistently slide into a tight knot.  

I like to use a non-woven conductive fabric because the edges don’t fray when cut with a scissor. Woven rip stop fabric will fray even when using pinking shears. Non-woven conductive fabric has a nice texture and does not fray. The frayed edges of a woven conductive fabric can be used as conductive fringe. Every eTextile project has its own […]

  Using velostat and a non-woven conductive fabric you can craft a simple pressure sensor for wearable computing and eTextile projects.     Use the velostat as a semi-permiable layer between two pieces of conductive fabric to create an interactive switch. Insert this basic pressure switch along either the negative or the positive trace then push it to complete the […]

Way way back in 2010 I was working on a competition piece for the Handweavers Guild of America conference and wanted to improve the aesthetics and durability of the conductive thread I was using. Syne Mitchell of Weavezine connected me with Jaycee Boggs (@insubordiknit) and I sent her some conductive thread to see what she would do…… A few month […]

  Use a cording foot with a zig-zag stitch to sew electric at wire to fabric.   This is a Bernina Cording Foot what has two grooves in which to guide the wires for parallel traces.   By using a matching colored bobbin thread the traces are easily identified.   This process can work with a wide variety of wire […]

  All the LEDs glowing in a row!    

    Short circuits in eTextiles are frequently caused by conductive thread frays and whiskers. Select your conductive thread carefully to minimize the risks. When sewing traces that are in close proximity I use a small diameter and well plied thread such as Mitsifuji. When the traces have an inch or more space between them, as when connecting LEDs, I […]

  Sew traces with conductive thread and red or black bobbin threads to indicate the electrical polarity. Adjust the tension allowing the bobbin thread to pull thru to the fashion fabric so that the polarity is easily determined. Reverse side of the fabric clearly shows the bobbin thread. Keep bobbins wound and ready for action.  

  When using conductive thread in a sewing machine choose a needle with a large eye so the thread will flow smoothly and not fray.   I use a Schmetz 90/14 embroidery needle on both my industrial machine as well as my Bernina 180.     For hand sewing conductive thread my favorite needle is a John James Chenille size […]

  eTextile products seen at the Smart Fabrics Conference Barcelona October 2013. Cath Rogan’s extensive and eloquent review at Innovation in Textiles 27 November 2013. Elastolite     Jan Zimmermann of Forster Rohner shared his latest in textile innovations – luxiousous LED fabrics. The Die Corsage Lumineux is not available on the mass market.     Sensing-Tex