Paper Circuits as Design Tool
10-30 min
Ages 8+
What Will You Learn?
Apply what you’ve learned with paper circuits to a fabric project by designing a hoodie or other wearable item.
About This Adventure
Today, fashion designers are not limited to fabrics in their designs. Technology has become part of our story and is much more accessible. Young designers can use tech such as lights, sensors, and microcontrollers to tell their stories.
In this adventure, you will experience and experiment as we go through the MakeFashion Edu process to support campers as they:
learn – about the elements of fashion and circuits
design – a story and the wearable
construct – a fashion tech piece using recyclable materials and lights
exhibit – be seen! Our favorite medium is the runway.
You will be able to support your designers as they find their voices and tell their own stories through fashion pieces they create and share.
This adventure is divided into several sections, each with its own projects. The bolded project denotes the page you are on. The arrows mark the section you are in.
Design a Light Up Hoodie
Print out this template of a hoodie to use to design with lights.
Designers must decide how they want to light up the hoodie, then sketch the circuit on the back of the paper so that LEDs, battery and switch (if used) are placed appropriately.
After the circuit is drawn, it’s time to put on the copper tape, LEDs and battery and light it up!
Ask campers, “How could copper tape and LEDs be used on a real hoodie?” “How does it help to use paper circuits in the first stages of designing?
Need to light up your look in a hurry? Copper tape and LEDs on a baseball cap will do the trick!
About MakeFashion
MakeFashion Edu is an international non-profit working to promote learning through fashion and tech. Through hosting workshops, reach-out and push-in activities, and larger events, MakeFashion Edu sees providing access for young designers to go to industry and project-based learning as one way to pull local communities together.
SteamHead makerspace is a network of people, spaces, and events who collaborate to improve equity in education as the path forward. We believe that by embracing design thinking and a maker-mindset, education can be more engaging and meaningful, and with that more effective in preparing students for success. Check their website for their courses.
Materials:
- Hoodie template
- Copper tape
- LEDs
- Transparent tape
- Pencil
- Coin cell battery (CR2032)
