E-Textiles

E-textiles are electronics embedded into clothing and other soft, fabric-based wearables. They can involve something as simple as a circuit with a single light shining on a shirt or advanced programming involving multiple sensors, sound, lights, and movement. While it is possible for e-textile creators to use traditional electronic parts, sewable electronics are emerging as a viable alternative. These parts can be sewn with conductive thread and can be integrated directly into soft garments. E-textiles of this sort thus represent a way to combine high- and low-tech sewing and circuitry and craft and electronics.

E-textile creators learn about craft, design, circuitry, and programming when making these projects. E-textiles present an alternative pathway into STEM fields that may be more appealing to girls, and also represent the ...