We have seen many examples of Electroluminescent (EL) wires used to decorate clothing or bags by simply having some strings placed as contour and a light up in a flashing pattern. Cute at times but not very stylish most of the times.

Not so the design as shown above which is from the latest issue of MAKE, Volume 21 which includes a 8-page primer on how to use EL wires.

The Make Magazine covers all interesting topics around EL wires such as the anatomy of EL wire, a comparison between EL wire and LEDs and a walk through for making a simple EL wire driver and strobe circuit based on a 556 dual-timer chip (or two 555s), a TIP120 Darlington transistor, and a small transformer.

This circuit will power about 10′ of wire, but changing values of capacitor, resistor you can tweak the circuit to power longer wires or the light’s appearance.

If the electronic part is too hard or time consuming for you, check out the ultra thin ‘Angel hair’ EL string from NeonString which also offers very small EL wire drivers and start making such beautiful animated graphics like the one from the Make Magazine.

The blinking eye design is an amazing example how the creative use of common materials and components can be turned into stunning effects – a highly inspirational example.

Today’s wearable electronic DIY tip comes from Riccardo (Plug and Wear) and shows how to cut and trim EL (Electro Luminescent) wires in the correct way so you won’t have to compromise with standard length EL wires for your textile illumination projects.

EL wires require inverters to light up and to connect them to the inverter is tricky because the wires to solder are extremely thin.

An EL wire is build up like a coaxial cable with a inner copper conductor covered with a phosphorus paint and the external conductor made of two fine wires. This two strings are covered by an external plastic cover.

With the help of Roccardo’s Instructables ‘Connecting EL wires with uninsulated ferrules‘, solder iron, heat shrink tube and ferrules (metal tubes), pliers, a hair drier you will be able to fabricate custom made EL wires for your next stage wear outfit.

I must have found one of the coolest/hottest rugs on the planet made by British textile artist Sophie Hedderwick, the Hot Shag.

The Hot Shag shown is woven with berber yarn and thick EL (ElectroLuminescent) wires, painting a golden river of light running through the thick pile when switched on or looks like a conventional rug when unlit.

I love this design so much, it is simple in terms of technology involved but amazingly surprising, magical when the little technology comes to life.

An extraordinary creativity radiating from Sophie Hedderwick who has more of fascinating art works, fusing ancient weaving techniques with modern materials like a  series of gauze curtains that are sound-activated, responding to laughter, music or distant footsteps …

Triggered by a question from one of our dear readers about possible technologies usable to add light-up elements to clothing designs, I have been looking around if there is anything else next to Photochromic yarns or the glow-in-the-dark yarns which both need light to trigger the color change.

EL-foil technology is another option providing a very thin design solution but it is rather challenging to get custom made design in small quantities.

Using low profile LEDs could be used as well but needs many LEDs to get a continuous line of light. On the other hand, LEDs can be switched on/off or otherwise manipulated for their light output.

My search for more options came up with EL-wires or very thin EL strings which come very close to be used as illuminating yarn. Offered by a company called NeonString, their ‘Angel hair’ EL string is just 1.2mm thick, can be bend up to 180 degrees and come in a variety of colors: Aqua, Blue, Lime Green, Red, White, Yellow, Green and Purple with a price of $1.05 per foot.

To have a functional EL wire solution you need to have a driver electronic as well. Here comes the second very pleasant surprise from this company: their smallest driver which will work perfectly with the Angel hair EL string is very, very tiny, weights only 0.2 oz (less than 6 gram) and runs on 1.5V DC so you can use a small battery as well. This tiny driver can light up a string of up to 1.5 feet and is selling for $5.50

If you need longer light elements, there are bigger but still very small driver option available at the same store.

For people with little or no knowledge about electronics, NeonString offers to solder the driver to the string when indicated during ordering.

One word of caution: this very thing EL string does not have the usual PVC coating protection and outdoor use is not recommended but if you take care in your design and add some protective layer on top of it, I guess it should be fine to use in clothing projects.

If you are looking for a way to light up your next fashion design project, this is certainly an option to look at during your design stage.

Want to add some sparkle to your wardrobe, cushions or bags? Neon Trim has a wide selection of soft, flexible Neon wires for DIY enthusiasts to add light elements to clothing and more.

The site is full of information about how EL (Electroluminescent) wires work and how to use them. Getting the next rocking stage wear a la Duft Punk is easy to make yourself with the EL-kits on offer.

If you want to light up the dark days of this winter season checkout their
online store for some inspiration. Adding some light emitting elements to your outfit will greatly increase your visibility in the low light conditions, it’s easy to integrate and fun.

I like the cute light up shoelaces which are waterproof and resistant to slipping and pulling forces. They are sold ready for use but only a few pieces are left as Neon Trim has unfortunately discontinued this type of EL-wire.