21st Century Fashion Kit: Inflation
Dia, Member #313449 
Introduction
Inflatables are a great way to make fashion that transforms shape, or has a large exaggerated silhouette. A model with an inflatable skirt is my favorite thing to send down the runway, as she walks her skirt inflates growing larger and larger. But inflatables are also a fun way to prototype superhero outfits with your kid. This tutorial will teach you how to make an inflatable shape that you can turn on with the push of a button, using parts from the 21st Century Fashion Kit.
ReplaceMeOpen
ReplaceMeClose
Tools and Materials
Craft materials first:
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Long scrap of cotton fabric (a 7” x 36” strip is great!)
- Scissors
- Ballpoint Pen
- Wire Cutter
- Wire Stripper
- Soldering Iron
- Solder
- Clear Packing Tape
- Felt (Optional, if you choose to make the soft circuit button)
From the 21st Century Fashion Kit, you will need:
You'll also need the lace tablecloth in the kit, which isn't available separately on our storefront.
In this project, I've added a Soft Circuit button, which is strictly optional. You can also use a pre-made momentary button, either sewable or not.
Suggested Reading
Here are a few topics you might want to familiarize yourself with in preparation for this tutorial:
- What is Electricity? - Relevant to everything, ever.
- Transistor Basics - This is great information to have, and good background on the mosfet you'll be using!
- Switch Basics - Learn more about how the buttons you'll be using work.
- How to Solder - This tutorial will use both solder...
- Working with Conductive Thread - ...and conductive thread.