Finally, a skirt that does everything.

 

This skirt uses the amazing Circuit Playground board and stranded neopixels to create a versatile garment with loads of features.

  • Sound / music reactive mode
  • Motion sensing twinkle mode
  • Rainbow color palette modes

 

I made a petticoat or under-slip that can be worn underneath a variety of long skirts or dresses.  It would be simple to convert this project to pants, chaps, a vest, or any layered costume look.

The 3d printed "belt buckle" houses the Circuit Playground and adds another 10 reactive lights and button controls to the ensemble.   It can work as a standalone light buckle without the skirt as well.

A Black woman's manicured hand holds a round microcontroller with lit up LEDs.
Circuit Playground Express is the next step towards a perfect introduction to electronics and programming. We've taken the original Circuit Playground Classic and...
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I wanted to cover my whole skirt with just a few pixels, so I took some extra time and wired the pixels up individually. This way I could leave 10-12 inches between pixels and get a more spread-out and random twinkle effect.

If you don't like soldering much, you can also use our pre-soldered LED dot strands. They come in 2" or 4" spacing, so your pixel density will be a bit higher, but they're much easier to build and can be more reliable than hand-soldered pixels.

Overhead shot of PCB of 20 break-off LEDs.
So, you want lots and lots of NeoPixels? And you want them for less? Not a problem! Here's a sheet of Flora NeoPixels fresh from the (reflow) oven. Cut them off as you need 'em...
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Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand - 20 LEDs at 4 inch Pitch
Attaching NeoPixel strips to your costume can be a struggle as the flexible PCBs can crack when bent too much. So how to add little dots of color? Use these stranded NeoPixel dots!...
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Adafruit NeoPixel LED Dots Strand - 20 LEDs at 2 inch Pitch
Attaching NeoPixel strips to your costume can be a struggle as the flexible PCBs can crack when bent too much. So how to add little dots of color? Use these stranded NeoPixel dots!...
$27.50
In Stock

This guide uses 3 colors of silicone stranded wire to connect the pixels. You can instead use our silicone stranded ribbon cable. It's a little tricker to keep track of your wires since they're all black, but you end up with a more streamlined project with fewer wires to pull and catch on.

3 x Silicone Stranded Wire
3 Colors of Silicone Stranded Wire
1 x Ribbon Cable Wire
Silicone Stranded Ribbon Cable Wire

For a lighter weight power source that lasts a little longer, you can use a Lithium polymer battery. These are great for adult use but can catch fire if they're damaged or if they get wet, so if you're making this for a kid, stick with the AAA battery pack.

1 x AAA Batteries
3 x AAA Battery Holder with On/Off Switch and 2-Pin JST
1 x Lithium Polymer Battery
Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 1200mAh
1 x Battery Charger
Battery Charger for Lithium Polymer Battery

 Base Material

This guide was first published on Mar 02, 2017. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Introduction) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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