Page 28 - ChildArt_Magazine_Oct-Dec2015

Sewing

Electricity

by SOPHIA BENDER

Did you know thread can act as an electronic wire? It

can if you’re using special conductive threads. They al-

low for the integration of electronics with textiles. We call

these e-textiles, and with them we can create some really

cool artwork as well as some useful products.

Picture spreading a tablecloth covered with an array the conductive thread around each of the components’
of tiny lights when preparing for a special occasion. By holes three times. This demonstrated the importance of
using conductive thread and applying basic circuitry reinforcing connections to allow electricity to flow easily
concepts regarding polarity, connectivity, and current through the thread from one component to the next.
flow, items like that can be a reality. Artists noticed that the sewing itself forms a loop,
We came to the WCF from the Creativity Labs at In- demonstrating the concept of electric current flow.
diana University, Bloomington, bringing along supplies More specifically, a circuit must be a closed loop in
to demonstrate these concepts to WCF artists. Armed which the current flows from the battery, through the
with strips of felt on which we had hot-glued a battery load (which is the component using the energy – in this
holder and a sewable LED light, we were ready to tackle case, an LED), and back to the battery.
the task at hand: making light-up bookmarks. If the polarity is not properly aligned, if the connec-
But having the supplies on hand was only the first tions are not strong enough, or if the loop is incomplete,
step. Attendees had to learn circuitry basics too. First, then the LED will not light. So if the light-up book-
we explained the importance of polarity in circuits. That mark works, it means all these concepts were correctly
is, for a circuit to work, positives must be aligned with applied. Most problems arise in the form of short
other positives and negatives must be paired with other circuits, in which positive and negative lines cross or the
negatives. The artists applied this concept by sewing one thread is sewn directly through the LED so the current
line from the positive end of the battery holder to the cannot go through the light.
positive end of the LED, and a second line for the nega- E-textiles directly integrate the craft of sewing with
tive sides. circuitry, so that good sewing leads to a better circuit.
To make the connections stronger, they wrapped For instance, tying a big enough knot at the end of the

28 ChildArt | October–December 2015