E-Textiles

Also known as wearables, this is the world of electronics sewn right into your clothes! Find tutorials here that introduce the basics of machine-washable boards and conductive thread, as well as projects to get you inspired.

EL Wire Pants

July 18, 2019

In this tutorial, we will sew standard electroluminescent (EL) wire to a pair of pants.

LilyPad RGB LED Hookup Guide

July 18, 2019

Learn how to hook up the LilyPad RGB LED and use a common cathode RGB LED in e-textile projects.

Motion Controlled Wearable LED Dance Harness

January 30, 2019

Control LEDs based on your movement using an accelerometer! Make your LEDs breathe by fading in and out when laying on the floor, turn off the LEDs when moving to your side, or make the LEDs blink in a headstand!

LilyPad Vibe Board Hookup Guide

January 16, 2019

The LilyPad Vibe Board is a small vibration motor that can be sewn into projects with conductive thread and controlled by a LilyPad Arduino. The board can be used as a physical indicator on clothing and costumes for haptic feedback.

EL Wire Hoodie

October 24, 2018

In this tutorial, we will sew standard electroluminescent (EL) wire to a hoodie.

LilyPad Basics: Powering Your Project

September 24, 2018

Learn the options for powering your LilyPad projects, LiPo battery safety and care, and how to calculate and consider power constraints on your projects.

LilyPad Buttons and Switches

July 23, 2018

Learn about the button and switch offerings in the LilyPad line and how to use them.

Qwiic Flex Glove Controller Hookup Guide

July 19, 2018

Is your finger bent? Is your finger straight? The Qwiic Flex Glove controller board will answer this age old question for you with the flex sensor!

Getting Started with Electroluminescent (EL) Wire

July 13, 2018

This guide will help you get started with electroluminescent (EL) wire, tape, panel, chasing wire, and bendable wire to let your project glow!

LilyPad USB Plus Hookup Guide

June 7, 2018

The LilyPad USB Plus is a sewable microcontroller that you can use with Arduino.

LilyPad Light Sensor V2 Hookup Guide

June 7, 2018

How to hook up the LilyPad Light Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.

Adapting LilyPad Development Board Projects to the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus

May 24, 2018

An overview of the updates made in the redesign of the LilyPad Development Board to the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus and how to adapt code written for the old board to the new one.

LilyPad Tri-Color LED Hookup Guide

April 20, 2018

Learn how to hook up the LilyPad Tri-Color LED and use a common anode RGB LED in e-textile projects.

Prototype Wearable LED Dance Harness

February 8, 2018

A project tutorial to add an extra effect for dancers performing a choreographed piece. The harness can be added quickly under a costume.

LilyPad Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide

January 23, 2018

How to hook up the LilyPad Temperature Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.

LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus Activity Guide

December 7, 2017

Learn how to program in Arduino with the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus. This guide includes 10 example activities that use the pre-wired LilyPad boards on the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus.

LilyPad Development Board Activity Guide

December 7, 2017

Learn how to program in Arduino with the LilyPad Development Board. This guide includes 11 example activities that use the pre-wired LilyPad boards on the LilyPad Development Board.

LilyPad E-Sewing ProtoSnap Hookup Guide

December 7, 2017

Explore the LilyPad E-Sewing ProtoSnap and learn how to build it into a project.

LilyPad Safety Scarf

November 21, 2017

This scarf is embedded with a ribbon of LEDs that illuminate when it gets dark out, making yourself more visible to vehicle and other pedestrians.

Getting Started with LilyPad

October 27, 2017

An introduction to the LilyPad ecosystem - a set of sewable electronic pieces designed to help you build soft, sewable, interactive e-textile projects.

Night Sky Halloween Costume

October 25, 2017

Make a beautiful night sky costume using the LilyPad LEDs and the LilyTiny.

LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus Hookup Guide

October 5, 2017

The LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus is a sewable electronics prototyping board that you can use to learn circuits and programming with Arduino, then break apart to make an interactive fabric or wearable project.

Twinkle Zodiac Constellation

August 15, 2017

Create a quick and easy piece of e-textile art based on a Zodiac sign using a LilyTiny, LilyPad LEDs, battery holder, conductive thread, and coin cell battery.

LilyPad Basics: E-Sewing

December 17, 2016

Learn how to use conductive thread with LilyPad components.

LilyMini ProtoSnap Hookup Guide

December 17, 2016

Explore the LilyPad LilyMini ProtoSnap and learn how to use it.

Powering LilyPad LED Projects

December 17, 2016

Learn how to calculate how many LEDs your LilyPad project can power and how long it will last.

Glowing Pin

December 16, 2016

Create a quick and easy piece of e-textile art using a LilyPad LED, battery holder, conductive thread, and coin cell battery.

Light-Up Plush

December 16, 2016

Craft a light-up plush with LilyPad LEDs controlled by pressing a button and sliding a switch in the creature's hands.

Night-Light Pennant with LilyMini ProtoSnap

December 16, 2016

Use the pre-programmed LilyMini ProtoSnap to make an interactive pennant that reacts to ambient light levels.

Illuminated Mask

December 16, 2016

Use LilyPad LEDs, a switched battery holder, and coin cell battery to make a fun light up mask for your next costume party.

Pokémon Go Patches with EL Panels

August 3, 2016

Add a cloth stencil over EL panels to create glowing logos and designs.

Sound Reactive EL Wire Costume

December 31, 2015

Learn how to make your EL wire costumes sound reactive in this project tutorial.

LilyPad Light Sensor Hookup Guide

November 19, 2015

How to hook up the LilyPad Light Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.

LilyPad Buzzer Hookup Guide

November 19, 2015

How to hook up the LilyPad Buzzer and make sound with code.

LilyPad Reed Switch Hookup Guide

November 5, 2015

A guide to using the LilyPad Reed Switch breakout in your projects.

EL Wire Light-Up Dog Harness

October 30, 2015

Learn how to create a light-up dog harness using EL wire for when you need to take your four-legged friend for a walk in the dark.

Choosing a LilyPad Arduino for Your Project

October 27, 2015

Not sure which LilyPad Arduino is right for you? We'll discuss the features of each and help you decide.

Light Up Pennant with E-Textiles

September 17, 2015

Show your school spirit, geek pride, or fandom with a light up pennant using the LilyTwinkle or LilyPad Arduino.

LilyPad Pixel Board Hookup Guide

September 16, 2015

Add changing colors to your wearable projects using LilyPad Pixel Boards.

Planning a Wearable Electronics Project

August 13, 2015

Tips and tricks for brainstorming and creating a wearables project.

Light Up Silk Flower Corsage

April 20, 2015

Combine a silk flower with a built-in RGB LED and some LilyPad Switches to create a customizable accessory.

LilyTiny Plush Monster

January 27, 2015

Craft a stuffed monster while exploring the LilyTiny preprogrammed microcontroller. This is a project based on the Plush Monster Activity created at MIT's High-Low Tech Lab by Emily Lovell, Jie Qi, and Natalie Freed.

Insulation Techniques for e-Textiles

January 22, 2015

Learn a few different ways to protect your conductive thread and LilyPad components in your next wearables project.

LilyPad Simple Power Hookup Guide

January 15, 2015

A basic guide for getting started using the LilyPad Simple Power with LiPo batteries.

21st Century Fashion Kit: Inflation

December 10, 2014

Learn how to use a blower and thin sheet plastic to create designs that change shape and volume!

21st Century Fashion Kit: Electrochromatic Circuits

November 5, 2014

Diana Eng walks you through a magically appearing design made with an thermochromatic pigment.

Cackling Apple Head Witch

October 30, 2014

Make your own cackling apple head witch to scare all of the trick or treaters this Halloween!

Humidity-sensing LED Flower

October 28, 2014

How about that humidity? This tutorial shows how to add sensing capability to the 21st Century Fashion Kit's RGB flower project.

Hackers in Residence - Sound and Motion Reactivity for Wearables

October 3, 2014

How to consciously wear light-up and and sound reactive clothing.

Twinkling Trick or Treat Bag

October 2, 2014

Make a light up goodie bag with conductive thread, LEDs, and the LilyTwinkle!

Re-Programming the LilyTiny / LilyTwinkle

September 11, 2014

A quick tutorial showing how to reprogram the ATtiny85 IC found on the LilyTiny or LilyTwinkle boards.

Are You Okay? Widget

May 23, 2014

Use an Electric Imp and accelerometer to create an "Are You OK" widget. A cozy piece of technology your friend or loved one can nudge to let you know they're OK from half-a-world away.

Customizing LilyPad LED Colors

May 19, 2014

A short guide to creating a rainbow of new LilyPad LED colors at home!

Das Blinken Top Hat

January 22, 2014

A top hat decked out with LED strips makes for a heck of a wedding gift.

ELastoLite Hookup Guide

November 14, 2013

Everything you need to setup a circuit using ELastoLite super flexible EL Panels from Oryon Technologies.

LDK Experiment 5: Make Your Own Switch

October 2, 2013

Learn to create and integrate your own handmade switch into an e-textile circuit.

LDK Experiment 6: Microcontroller Circuits

October 2, 2013

Learn how to build a simple microcontroller circuit using the pre-programmed LilyTiny Board

LDK Experiment 2: Multiple LED Circuits

October 2, 2013

Design both parallel and series e-textile circuits with multiple LEDs!

ProtoSnap LilyPad Development Simple Hookup Guide

September 5, 2013

Interested in getting into LilyPad? Or maybe it's Arduino that tickles your fancy? Just want to add a little white-blinky-LED zest to your vest? All of the above? The ProtoSnap LilyPad Simple is a great tool to explore any of these subjects.

My Drunk Kitchen Apron

September 5, 2013

A fun project that uses the LilyPad MP3 trigger. This apron will dispense helpful kitchen advice and humor from the host of My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Harto!

Dungeons and Dragons Dice Gauntlet

August 13, 2013

A playful, geeky tutorial for a leather bracer that uses a LilyPad Arduino, LilyPad accelerometer, and seven segment display to roll virtual 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, and 100 side dice for gaming.

Mario the Magician's Magical Lapel Flower

May 23, 2013

A guest tutorial from the astonishingly talented Mario the Magician showing how to put together your own servo-controlled lapel flower.

Firefly Jar Assembly Guide

May 14, 2013

Make a soft circuit firefly jar with conductive thread, LEDs, and the LilyTwinkle!

Getting Started with the LilyPad MP3 Player

May 8, 2013

The LilyPad MP3 Player is an amazing little board that contains almost everything you need to play audio files. You can use it to create all kinds of noisy projects, from MP3 hoodies to talking teddy bears. Your imagination is the only limit! This tutorial will help you get started.

Soft Circuits: LED Feelings Pizza

February 13, 2013

Here we will learn how to say how you feel with pizza. Electric pizza.

LDK Experiment 1: Lighting Up a Basic Circuit

February 7, 2013

The first experiment in the LilyPad Design Kit series. In this exercise, you will learn how a basic e-textiles circuit works, and light up a sewable LED using a coin cell battery holder and conductive thread.

Heating Pad Hand Warmer Blanket

January 21, 2013

DIY Project Idea: Create a custom hand warmer blanket using heating pads.

LilyPad Development Board Hookup Guide

July 28, 2011

The LilyPad Development Board is a sewable electronics prototyping board that you can use to learn circuits and programming with Arduino, then break apart to make an interactive fabric or wearable project.
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Old Tutorials

Looking for the old, archived tutorials? Head on over to the archived tutorials on the main SparkFun site.
Please be aware that the tutorials you find there are no longer actively maintained.