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In this video, we'll show you how to make a fun LED Jellyfish with Conductive Thread.
I chose to use small pieces of fabric to create a mini wall-hanging for this video.
The following supplies to create this fun project.
To start, we'll need to trace the shape of the Jellyfish onto our fabric. Since I don't
have a lightbox, I placed the printed Jellyfish pattern on top of a glass table and put a
flashlight underneath it. This becomes a makeshift lightbox which allows me to easily trace the
pattern. I used a chalk pencil because it's easy to
wipe up and clean, but any soluble pen will work for tracing.
Once the Jellyfish pattern is traced, cut it out.
For temporary adhesion, 505 temporary fabric adhesive spray is used to keep the Jellyfish
in place until it is appliqued. Place the cutout Jellyfish onto the background
fabric and smooth out any rough spots. Time to stitch it in place. The standard blanket
stitch on my machine is a good choice as it provides a solid, reinforced stitch. Since
I want this Jellyfish to really standout, I'm using glow-in-the-dark thread.
Iron out any wrinkles that may have formed. Using the same pattern as before, place the
paper on the back side of the backing fabric and sketch out the placement for the battery
holders and LEDs you'd like to apply. As long as you stay under 5 LEDs per battery, you
should get good performance. Set the top fabric piece on top of the backing
and make sure the two pieces match up. When they're lined up, use the 505 spray to temporarily
adhere the paper to the backside of the backing fabric.
Sketch out the placement of both positive and negative conductive thread lines.
To couch conductive thread, we'll lay it on top of the back piece of fabric and with a
regular sewing thread, sew a zigzag stitch over the thread. This keeps the conductive
thread stationary. When trimming the ends, it's always better
to leave a longer tail than you think you should. It's much easier to trim it than to
tie multiple pieces together to add length. Now that all 4 threads are couched in place,
put the quilt sandwich together with the backing, batting, and top piece. Make sure everything
lines up and then pin baste together. I opted to cut some of the paper off since
I'm not placing LEDs in the middle section. This saves me time at the end when I pick
out all the paper. Using the Glow-in-the-dark thread, sew a tight
zig-zag stitch and make some groovy, glowing tentacles.
Now it's time for the lights! We've got many helpful diagrams on our website, please check
them out. Each LED board has a positive and negative
terminal. On the back of the board, you will see a tiny + sign, indicating which side is
the positive terminal. Each terminal will need conductive thread
connecting it to the battery source. Cut a strand of conductive thread and thread it
through each terminal. Using a needle threader is very helpful because
the fine wire fits through the terminal holes easily. While holding the LED with one hand,
thread each terminal twice to keep the conductive thread secure. If you have a clothespin or
alligator clip, clip one side of the LED board so you can use both hands to thread it. This
does make the threading process easier. Once threaded, put a tiny dab of Super Glue
onto the conductive thread. Do NOT put a large amount of glue, as it can interfere with the
conductivity. Do a quick battery test to make sure everything
is correct. Thread the conductive thread through a needle
and push through the quilt sandwich. Do this for both positive and negative threads from
the LED. At this point, tear off all remaining paper.
The positive thread from the LED needs to touch the positive thread leading to the battery.
We do this by making the threads touch. Pass the conductive thread from the LED board underneath
the thread from the battery a few times. Tie a knot to keep them touching and trim the
excess. Place the sticky-back Velcro pieces onto the
designated battery holder locations and stitch in place.
Place the other sticky-back Velcro pieces to the battery holders and put Velcro together.
Verify the polarity indicators on the battery holder line up with the conductive thread.
Using the conductive thread that we couched on earlier, thread it through the proper terminal
on the battery holder. Positive to positive, negative to negative.
Wrap it through twice, tie a knot and trim off the excess.
Insert the battery and watch the Jellyfish light up!