3

Sew lighting into a hat

SCHOOL OF MAKING

his is a simple and easy sewn circuit

project, and it’s great for getting

started with wearables. We’ll sew

three LEDs onto a knit hat for more

visibility at night. Once you’ve gotten

the basics down with this project, you

can use this circuit to sew LEDs into other garments

too. Let’s get started!

CIRCUIT OVERVIEW

We’ll be sewing the LEDs in parallel, so that each

LED gets the same amount of voltage from the

battery. All the LEDs will be in the same orientation

in our circuit. Look for the + and - on each LED and

follow the circuit diagram (shown right) as you build.

Leave the battery out of your battery holder until

you’ve finished building the circuit.

PREPARE THE HAT

The LEDs will be attached to the outside of the hat,

and the battery holder will be hidden inside the hat’s

folded cuff. You’ll either need to use a hat with a

cuff or fold back the edge of a longer hat. If your cuff

Keep yourself warm and visible on dark nights with a simple circuit

Sew lighting into a hat

doesn’t want to stay folded, tack it up at the sides

with a few stitches of regular sewing thread. The cuff

should be at least 4 cm wide to accommodate the

battery holder.

ADD THE LEDS

If your sewable LEDs came in a strip, gently snap

them apart with small pliers. Find the front of the

hat. Place the three LEDs on the front of the hat fold

with the negative (-) side up and the positive (+) side

down. Space them about 1.5 cm apart. Tack each LED

in place with a small amount of hot glue.

T

Sophy Wong

Sophy Wong is a

designer, maker,

and avid creator. Her

projects range from

period costumes

to Arduino-driven

wearable tech. She

can be found on her

YouTube channel

and at sophywong.

com, chronicling her

adventures in making.

@sophywong

Above

Be seen in the dark

with a light-up hat

Right

Connect the LEDs to

the battery holder