Create a costume that oozes charm and sophistication, and shows you off like the Sea Goddess you are.
This is a fairly advanced project, with some costuming skills and a lot of work with wiring and soldering. If you don't already have mad soldering skills, you will have them by the time you're done with this project.
This is also not a step-by-step build guide. I'll go over tips and techniques and show you the path I took and the mistakes I made, to give you the tools to go and build your own magical creation.

This board is designed to drive multiple pixel strands at the same time. It has 5v logic level shifting built-in as well as some other nice features like onboard battery charging and LOTS of GPIO pins. It's perfect for a project like this that's using some heavyweight code and lots of pixel strands.
It has an individual ground pin for each of the strands we'll be using, and the ground and data pins are present along one end of the board to make it easy to get all those wires attached.
NeoPixels
I used three different types of pixels for this dress: 90/m side-light pixels for the top / "ooze" sections, 60/m standard pixels for the long drop sections, and 20/m led "dots" for the splats along the hem.



Construction was simplified using a full strand of “dots” along the hem, though just a subset of pixels are actually used. If you’re patient with some extra wiring, soldering and strain relief, individual FLORA NeoPixels — one per drip — could be used instead.
Power
There are several options for powering this project. I am powering via the Feather's onboard USB port using a USB battery pack. We have a couple great ones in the shop, and there are many more shapes and sizes available online.
These don't have an on/off switch included, but you can plug/unplug to turn the costume on or off, or find a USB C cable with an inline power switch for easy on/off.
You could also power through the onboard JST connector using a lithium-polymer battery. LiPoly cells are small and efficient but come with safety concerns, and aren't always the best option for a costume, especially if it will be worn by a kid or if it might get wet or damaged.
Wire & Accessories
I used a LOT of wire for this project, and a lot of heat shrink to cover up all those wire connections. Since this is a wearable, I wanted to keep the loose wires to a minimum, so I used 28awg Silicon Stranded Ribbon Cable. This way most of the longer wire runs have 3 wires that are stuck together, giving me effectively one wire to deal with instead of three.
I estimated 1m for each of my strands, plus a little extra, to give myself plenty of wiggle room. I also used some single-strand red silicone stranded wire for the power connections.
You'll do a lot of wire splicing so be sure you've got enough heat shrink. It's also really helpful to have large clear heat shrink for sealing the ends of your LED strips.
If you want to add "Carrie Mode" where the lights all turn red, you'll need a momentary switch button.
Depending on your build, it could be useful to have a few 3-pin JST connectors. I used these to plug and unplug the drips in the back, to minimize pulling on wires when I pull the dress on and off.
Additional Materials
- A fabulous dress or cloak or costume
- A sturdy slip, or some fabric for your under-layer (optional)
- Short USB C cable and/or power switch cable for your battery
- Needle and heavy-duty thread
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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