DIY Electronic Ugly Sweater Part 2

So you want to add more pizazz than just LED lights? See Part 1 for conductive thread tutorial. This is where littleBits, my favorite magnetic circuit toy, comes in handy.

Bits used: Button, bargraph, wire (2), power, servo motor, battery, plastic shoes and Velcro shoes.

Originally my idea was to make a felt waving snowman but when I actually tried to put it on the sweater, the arm waving failed miserably. The servo ended up on my shoulder (an easier place to hold the motor anyway). The bargraph and button ended up underneath the 2nd circle on the snowman with a Velcro shoe to affix it to the sweater. I hand stitched the snowman around the major outline to keep all the bits from moving with regular thread. No conductive thread is necessary for this part.

I bought the sweater at a thrift shop so I had no problem cutting holes into it to fish the servo motor underneath the sweater. The servo bit had a Velcro shoe attached with more Velcro sewed on the underside of the sweater to keep it secure. The battery and power bit are going in my pants pocket.

The best part of it being an ugly sweater is it doesn't matter how bad your sewing skills are! It actually makes it look quite charming. A quick trip the dollar store brought some christmas balls, garland, and a hat.

Check out our quick vimeo video for the final product.

Ugly Sweater from Duxbury Free Library on Vimeo.

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