# LED Sequin Bow Tie ## Overview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH9H-UJZrA8 Bring some bling to your formalwear! Don't be left out when your prom date shows up in her twinkling Sparkle Skirt, add some LEDs to your bow tie! This beginner project is a great way to get into e-textiles. No programming or soldering required, just a bit of stitching. You don't need much background to start this project, just check out the [Conductive Thread](../../../../conductive-thread)guide for tips on working with this tricky textile. For this project you will need: - [20mm coin cell battery board with switch](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1871) - 2-4 LED sequins (we have [white,](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1758) blue, [red](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1792), [green](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1756), and [pink](https://www.adafruit.com/products/1792)) - [2-ply conductive thread](https://www.adafruit.com/product/640) - [CR2032 coin cell battery](https://www.adafruit.com/product/654) - [sewing needle](https://www.adafruit.com/product/615) - clear nail polish - scissors - pre-tied bowtie ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/460/medium800thumb/adafruit_products_materials.jpg?1448316680) ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/459/medium800/adafruit_products_LED-Sequin-Bowtie.jpg?1424810939) # LED Sequin Bow Tie ## Circuit Diagram ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/461/medium800/adafruit_products_circuit_diagram.png?1424806657) Two or four LED sequins are wired in parellel with the coincell battery. Stitch postitive traces to SW and negative traces to Gnd on the coincell breakout. Practically, inside the bow tie, the stitched threads will form a shape something like this: ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/499/medium800/adafruit_products_circuit-diagram.jpg?1424869683) # LED Sequin Bow Tie ## Sew Circuit Position the battery holder in between the folds of your bow tie, and secure at least two of the corner mounting holes to the fabric with a few stitches of plain thread. This will prevent the component from sliding around while you're sewing other parts of the circuit. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/463/medium800thumb/adafruit_products_sewingbatteryholder.jpg?1448316713) Double check your needle fits through the holes on the battery board-- they are on the smaller size. Thread your needle with conductive thread and connect it up to either the SW or Gnd pad on the board and get to stitching towards your sequins according to the circuit diagram and your desired layout. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/462/medium800thumb/adafruit_products_making_stitches.jpg?1448316696) To bring the conductive thread to the outer pads on the sequins, use shallow stitches that just barely catch the surface of the fabric, so they don't show through on the front side. ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/500/medium800thumb/adafruit_products_dab-with-nail-polish.jpg?1448316719) Seal your knots with clear nail polish, being careful not to get any on the pads of the circuit board. LESS IS MORE. Pull the thread tails taut while the nail polish dries, and double check that it's "glued" in position before cutting the thread tail short. Conductive thread is very springy and your knots will spring open if you skip this step! # LED Sequin Bow Tie ## Wear it! ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/023/458/medium800/adafruit_products_Bow_Tie_Detail_Open.jpg?1424800324) Once all your thread tails are cut, you can insert the coincell battery into its holder and flip the small power switch. Your sequins should light up! If they don't, switch it off and check your circuit for shorts and loose stitching and try again. Enjoy your new bow tie! A two-sequin circuit should last 22 hours on a single battery, and a four-sequin circuit should last about 11 hours. Remove the battery from your circuit if you get caught in the rain! ## Featured Products ### Adafruit LED Sequins - Warm White - Pack of 5 [Adafruit LED Sequins - Warm White - Pack of 5](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1758) Sew a little sparkle into your wearable project with an Adafruit LED Sequin. These are the kid-sister to our popular [Flora NeoPixel](http://www.adafruit.com/products/1260), they only show a single color and they don't have digital control, but that makes them smaller easier to... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1758) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1758/guides) ### 20mm Coin Cell Breakout w/On-Off Switch (CR2032) [20mm Coin Cell Breakout w/On-Off Switch (CR2032)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1871) Simple but effective - this sewable breakout board has a CR2032 coin cell battery holder soldered on, an on/off switch and 0.1" pitch breakout pins for easy connecting. Great for powering very low-current projects, or adding a battery backup circuit to a real-time-clock or similar.... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/1871) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/1871/guides) ### Stainless Thin Conductive Thread - 2 ply - 23 meter/76 ft [Stainless Thin Conductive Thread - 2 ply - 23 meter/76 ft](https://www.adafruit.com/product/640) After months of searching, we finally have what we consider to be the ultimate conductive thread. It's thin, strong, smooth, and made completely of 316L stainless steel. Once you start working with this thread you'll quickly agree its optimal for any wearables work! This... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/640) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/640/guides) ### CR2032 Lithium Coin Cell Battery [CR2032 Lithium Coin Cell Battery](https://www.adafruit.com/product/654) A perfect match for our [sew-able coin cell holder](http://www.adafruit.com/products/653). This non-rechargeable coin cell is CR2032 sized: 20mm diameter, 3.2mm thick. It has a nominal voltage output of 3V (although it starts a little high at 3.2V and slowly drifts down to 2.5V as... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/654) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/654/guides) ### Needle set - 3/9 sizes - 20 needles [Needle set - 3/9 sizes - 20 needles](https://www.adafruit.com/product/615) Mighty needles, sew like the wind! This needle set is the only one you'll need for any sort of hand sewing, especially using our conductive thread and wearable electronics parts. Each pack contains 20 gold-eye sharps, with eye sizes ranging from #3 (1.75" long) to #9... Out of Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/615) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/615/guides) ## Related Guides - [Trinket React Counter](https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-react-counter.md) - [DIY Rechargeable LED Makeup Compact](https://learn.adafruit.com/diy-rechargeable-led-makeup-compact.md) - [Bo-Katan LED Headband](https://learn.adafruit.com/led-headband.md) - [Light Up your Costume with Noods](https://learn.adafruit.com/light-up-your-costume-with-noods.md) - [LED Masquerade Masks](https://learn.adafruit.com/led-masquerade-masks.md) - [World's Smallest MAME Arcade Cabinet](https://learn.adafruit.com/worlds-smallest-mame-arcade-cabinet.md) - [Glowing Hair Flowers with n00ds](https://learn.adafruit.com/glowing-hair-flowers-with-n00ds.md) - [Tiny TARDIS Pendant](https://learn.adafruit.com/tiny-tardis-pendant.md) - [LED Friendship Bracelet](https://learn.adafruit.com/nautical-led-bracelet.md) - [Glowing Viking Rune wayFinder](https://learn.adafruit.com/glowing-viking-rune-artifact.md) - [Adafruit LED Sequins](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-led-sequins.md) - [Glowing Birthday Number Crown](https://learn.adafruit.com/glowing-birthday-number-crown.md) - [Luminous LED Flowers](https://learn.adafruit.com/luminous-led-flowers.md) - [Battery Powering Wearable Electronics](https://learn.adafruit.com/battery-powering-wearable-electronics.md) - [DIY Lego LED Bricks](https://learn.adafruit.com/diy-lego-led-bricks.md)