Create a light up flower headband using special conductive thread.
Materials Needed:
- 3 felt flowers
- 1 5mm LED
- CR1025 sewable battery holder
- conductive thread
- CR1025 battery
- sewing needle
- sewing thread
- needlenose pliers
- scissors
Part 1: General Design: Get a quick general idea of how you want the finished headband to look.
Play with the flowers and lay it out on the headband. It’s good to get a general idea before we assemble.
Part 2: Setting Up Top Layer: Adding the LED through the top layer.
Take the LED and gently work the leads through the top flower.
You can wiggle it through or try creating a hole by piercing the felt with the sewing needle.
Part 3: Wire Bending Loops: We will twist the LED legs into loops to make it easier for us to sew through it.
Bend the longest lead so that it lies along the flower.
With a pair of needlenose pliers (or by hand), twist the lead so that it forms a tight loop. Remember that this loop is the POSITIVE side (+).
Repeat with the other lead which is the NEGATIVE (-) one. You may want to lightly mark a plus or minus sign on the felt to help you keep track.
Part 4: Sewing the Negative Side of LED: Starting connect the thread to the positive side of the LED.
Thread your needle with at least 6 inches of conductive thread. I like to do the bookbinder’s knot by the needle and tie another one at the end.
Next, you will start your stitch next to the positive loop but don’t go all the way through the felt, have the needle come back out in the middle of the positive loop.
Then wrap the thread around the negative loop a few times (3-5) without going through the felt. Once you are done wrapping a section of the loop, make one stitch going into the felt and coming back out. DO NOT CUT THE THREAD.
Part 5: Sewing Through Flower 2: We will be sewing through the next layer and attaching the CR1025 battery holder.
Line up your second layer and bring your needle through to the other side. Line up NEGATIVE hole on the battery holder and bring the thread through.
Keeping the thread as taut as possible, loop the thread through the hole about 3-4 times like you did with the LED loops. DO NOT CUT THE THREAD YET.
Part 6: Sewing Through Flower 3:
Almost done with this side. Line up the last layer and pull the needle through. Make a knot as close to the last flower, keeping the thread taut. Now, cut the conductive thread.
Part 7: Sewing the Positive Side:
Repeat Part 4 – 6. You will be feeding the conductive thread through the Positive LED Loop , then through the Positive hole on the battery holder and securing it on the other side of the last layer..
Part 8: Sewing Flower to Headband:
Find the part of the flower where the battery slides into the battery holder. This will be the top of your flower.
Take regular thread and sew through the bottom two layers but not all the way through the top one. Come back through the bottom layer again.
Position the flower to the spot on the headband you wish to attach it to and start sewing along the bottom half of the flower. You can go through the bottom two layers of the flower or just the 3rd layer. It’s up to you.
Part 9: Let there be Light: Adding Battery.
Find the opening to the battery holder. Keeping the shiny side up, slide the battery into holder.
Voila!
To turn off the LED, you will need to pop the battery out of the holder. Or, you can cut a thin piece of plastic and slide it between the battery and battery holder.