Feel the magic of fiber optics!  This guide will lead you through adding fiber optic ruffles to a skirt or dress, and then change lighting modes with a twirl or twitch of your hips.  

You can use an existing dress and add your own ruffles, or make one from whole cloth -- your imagination is the limit.  With a little sewing, a few 3d printed parts and a Flora, you will absolutely light up any room you walk into.  

This technique is perfect for embellishing a prom or wedding dress, or for more advanced sewers, creating a gorgeous ball gown worthy of a fairy princess or snow queen.

Fiber optics are a great choice for a dress to dance in.  They're sturdy and washable, and really versatile.  The fibers hold their shape when gently heated, creating a delightful swirl of light, and they can be lit up in whatever color strikes your fancy, even animated with light patterns, unlike EL wire which is a bit more delicate and can only show one color.  

Side glow fiber optics aren't as bright as EL wire when used with most addressable LEDs, but these 3W Pixies are screaming bright! They easily rival EL wire for brightness... without the squeaky high pitched whine of an EL converter.  Move over, EL wire! Pixie's in town!

Materials

• Flora
• LSM303 accelerometer & compass sensor
• Pixie 3 Watt LEDs -- I used 5 of these in my skirt
• 2500mAh LiPoly Battery
• Tactile on/off switch
• Side glow fiber optics -- I used 84 strands
• 10-20 yards of organza fabric
• 26awg and 30awg silicone stranded wire

Tools

• Soldering iron & accessories
• 3d printer (optional)
• Sewing machine or serger with a cording presser foot
• Heat gun
• E6000 glue