Guide

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INTRODUCTION
What Is
LilyPad?
The LilyPad system is a set of
sewable electronic pieces designed
to help you build soft, sewable,
interactive e-textile projects. Using
LilyPad pieces is a great way to
experiment with electronics through the lens of crafting. Each LilyPad piece has large
conductive sew tabs for easy sewing and a rounded shape so as not to snag fabric or
cut thread.
The LilyPad system was designed by Leah Buechley while
pursuing her Ph.D. in computer science at the University of
Colorado Boulder. The commercial version of the kit, which
launched in 2007, was collaboratively designed by Leah and
SparkFun Electronics. You can learn more about LilyPad at
SparkFun.com/LilyPadSewKit.
What Are Sewable Electronics?
Sewable electronics combine traditional craft processes (sewing, fashion design, and
textile design) with electrical engineering, computer science, and hardware skills.
With sewable electronics you can create e-textiles (electronic textiles), which are
often wearable, flexible projects that look less like traditional electronics and more like
craft and art projects. Many e-textile projects replace wiring with flexible conductive
materials such as conductive thread and fabric. For the projects in this guide, we will be
sewing circuits together with conductive thread.
LilyPad Creator Leah Buechley