Alice writes:

Well I was invited to prom yet again this year and felt like doing something a little out of the box. I'm very interested by all the unconventional materials people sew with (I believe it was the garbage bags that gave me the idea). Anyways seeing as I'm also trying to build a portfolio, I figured why not. And so many cavities and sugar highs later it was complete. Really I automatically knew I would use skittle wrappers (because they are fantastic and rainbow...and I love fantastic rainbow things). I also wanted to make sure nobody else had made a dress or anything out of the same kind of wrapper.

Don't miss the ITP Spring Show 2008, where there's sure to be projects galore with wearable electronics and other crafty smarts!

Monday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 13

from 5 to 9pm at ITP

A two-day festival of interactive sight, sound and technology from the student artists and innovators at ITP.

An oversized Greenwich Village loft houses the computer labs, rotating exhibitions, and production workshops that are ITP -- the Interactive Telecommunications Program. Founded in 1979 as the first graduate education program in alternative media, ITP has grown into a living community of technologists, theorists, engineers, designers, and artists uniquely dedicated to pushing the boundaries of interactivity in the real and digital worlds. A hands-on approach to experimentation, production and risk-taking make this hi-tech fun house a creative home not only to its 230 students, but also to an extended network of the technology industry's most daring and prolific practitioners.

Interactive Telecommunications Program

Kanbar Institute of Film and Television

Tisch School of the Arts

New York University

721 Broadway, 4th Floor, South Elevators

New York NY 10003

Take the left elevators to the 4th Floor

This event is free and open to the public

No need to RSVP

Etsy seller pingo makes these cord cozies for your laptop power supply. Custom orders for color and length are accepted. I've been making these cover the cables for my video installations for years so that they fit in with the aesthetic of the piece.Via Core77.

Andrew "Bruce" Lau made this amazing LED cape and wore it around Maker Faire all weekend. I caught up with him to chat about it, and he said that Leah Buechley's LED tank top was a huge inspiration. He used her suggested technique of soldering metal beads to surface mount LEDs and stitching them in a grid using conductive thread. Controlled by a PIC microcontroller, the cape scrolls letters saying "MAKE" and "DIY as well as traveling patterns.

From the pages of CRAFT:

CRAFT: 01 - "The Electric Tank Top," by Leah Buechley pgs 54 - 67. Digital Subscribers can read the article here.

I'll be running a demo at 11am on Saturday at Maker Faire on how to sew/embroider a simple circuit using conductive thread, an LED, and a watch battery. This is a beginner's level demo, so don't worry if you've never embroidered or never touched electronics. I look forward to seeing you there!

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset May 3rd and 4th at the San Mateo Fairgrounds, CA (Upcoming.org). It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things.

If you're in the Bay Area, or plan to attend Maker Faire add "makerfaire" to your Twitter, we'll be giving away tickets and will have updates before and during Maker Faire!

Have you ever seen "anti-sit" technologies at work? Little spikes on ledges to prevent you from resting your legs? Benches the discourage laying down? From the Archisuit site:

Archisuit consists of an edition of four leisure jogging suits made for specific architectural structures in Los Angeles. The suits include the negative space of the structures and allow a wearer to fit into, or onto, structures designed to deny them.

(Thanks, Frank!)

I've been working on a project where I knit sweaters to go from gadgets to your body. They're supposed to be a fun commentary on how attached and concentrated on technology we are, and to highlight the lack of movement that happens when we're engrossed in our laptops, keyboards, PDAs, etc. I plan on making many more, and would be curious what ideas fellow crafters might have for different iterations. the one pictured above is for privacy, warmth, and concentration in public spaces while using a laptop.

Phil @ MAKE tips us off to this "laptop underwear" for supporting a broken display hinge. Very clever, and quite futuristic looking!

Other instructors are Maurin Donneaud & Vincent Roudaut of XYinteraction (textile & electronics). Fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht and the physical computing specialist and Fritzing developer Dirk van Oosterbosch.

Find out how more information on the workshop and how to register at Mediamatic.

RFID tags are those tiny identifiers in your keyfobs, pets, and quickpay systems. I use them in various art projects and games where the idenfication of specific people is important, but often they come in ugly packages that are cumbersome to use. I started using these flat disc tags recently, and in order to incorporate them into useful everyday objects, I made these shisha embroidery RFID wristbands, personalized for each person. The tag is visible the same way the mirror would be in traditional shisha, and I think the copper coil looks quite attractive.

Related:

• HOW TO - Embroider with Mirrors

• Shi Sha Embroidery

Collin @ MAKE writes:

This chic pet-substitute responds to touch with pulsing blue LED 'eyes' and a purring effect courtesy of Lilypad vibrating motor boards. The Cat Bag / Cuddle Bag was created as part of the 'Designing Hybrid wearables' workshop at Mediamatic Amsterdam.

This bag would be good when traveling without a beloved pet, but I'm not sure I'd take it through airport security.

From the pages of CRAFT:01

CRAFT: 01 - "The Electric Tank Top," by Leah Buechley pgs 54 - 67. Digital Subscribers can read the article here. - Link.

Subscribe to CRAFT Magazine and get 4 quarterly issues for only $34.95 (US) - Link.

I've recently become obsessed with the latest installment in Keita Takahashi's brilliant Katamari Damacy series, Beautiful Katamari. I created my own real-fake Katamari from an assortment of dollhouse furnishings, hobby shop accoutrements, and toy stores oddities. Additionally, I hand made Pocky and Milky packages using inkjet prints on tiny boxes. The entire replica is made from miniatures down to the hand-felted Katamari at the core, with all the items glued, pinned, and sewn.

In this interactive exhibit we explore the simple and ubiquitous Light Emitting Diode's capacity as an expressive object. Artists use the LED to generate light, display images and patterns, respond to our actions, and reflect on our environment. The result is a collection of diverse works that truly celebrate the beauty of the LED.

As Hacked Gadgets says, you probably won't have time to create this amazing LED hat for this Halloween, but if you start soldering now, you might have it done for next Halloween, or if you hurry, next Mardi Gras. The results look worth the effort.

LilyPad is a wearable e-textile technology developed by Leah Buechley and cooperatively designed by Leah and SparkFun. Each LilyPad was creatively designed to have large connecting pads to allow them to be sewn into clothing. Various input, output, power, and sensor boards are available. They're even washable!

There is no reason for fabric circuits to mimic the look of traditional PCBs. My version 2.0 construction kit explores a new aesthetic for electronics. The e-textile construction kit was designed to empower novices to work with electronic textiles. Using the kit, you can build your own soft interactive clothing. The patches shown here, built with my iron-on circuit technique, are small, sewable computer chips. Each patch functions as a stitchable Arduino.

"[A 2006 BoingBoing article] describes what might be called the 'gentrification' of the skull as cultural icon; the death's head--once a decidedly kitschy, lower-class, and marginalized symbol--has gone uppercrust, or so they say. Striking evidence is presented in this pavé diamond watch face by Lucien Pellat-Finet/Jacob Arabo, the price of which is left tastefully to our imagination. Being generally opposed to the gentrification of, well... anything, I undertook to reclaim this design in more accessible, familiar, and kitschy materials, viz. rhinestones. Copying the paving pattern from the photo was easy enough with the aid of some hex-graph paper from incompetech.com. Some fancy footwork with Illustrator and Photoshop produced [an] image, which was printed to scale on 65lb card stock and used as a pattern."

"My mother taught me the basics of sewing at a young age and I have had Singer sewing machines in my home since I was a girl. I used them to make many of my clothes in high school and college and I even sewed my wedding dress," stated Martha Stewart. "Sewing is a wonderfully useful skill. It enables anyone to create beautiful and functional projects or even enhance something as basic as a paper gift bag. I'm delighted that sewing is enjoying a national renaissance since I know very well the pride and pleasure that can be derived from this rewarding pursuit." From the fashion savvy to the crafts enthusiast, sewing is back in vogue. According to the Home Sewing Association, there are approximately 35 million sewing hobbyists in the U.S., up from about 30 million in 2000. The resurgence of sewing is providing individuals of all ages and backgrounds with exciting opportunities to create and personalize quilting, crafting, fashion sewing and home décor projects and to embellish readymade items.

• Photos from the event Link.
• Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Announces Endorsement Of SVP Worldwide Products: SINGER(R), HUSQVARNA VIKING(R) And PFAFF(R) Sewing Machines - Link.

• SVP Worldwide - Link.
• Singer - Link.
• Pfaff - Link.
• Husqvarna Viking - Link.

From the article:

Technology -- from computers to high-tech fibers to laser cutting -- gives Miyake his edge. Schooled in graphic design and befriended by architects, Miyake began using computers to design in the 1980s. By the 1990s, the designer moved away from runway fashion toward high tech fabrics cut with lasers and molded with heat.

Read more in Wired News, "Issey Miyake's Populist Fashion" - Link.

I had the pleasure of viewing Angel Chang's new and very fresh collection for the upcoming fall 2007 season. Set on the top floor of a trendy Chelsea art building we viewed Angel's works among a plethora of inflated spheres reminding me of the freedoms of youth. With a wearable yet romantic approach, Angel's collection incorporates scented accessories and cuffs, while still showing us her devotion to integrating technology into fashion. iPod controllers are seamlessly blended into velveteen and relaxed jackets, showing us a freedom that integrates our everyday technological needs seamlessly into our desire for the latest in fashion.

What I like about Angel and what makes her work cohesive is the story behind her collections. This season her inspiration is the rise of technology which encouraged travel among the leisure and upper classes of the 19th century. In her statement she mentions nostalgia and advancements at the turn of the 19th century such as rail travel, luxury liners and grand hotels.

At the same time, the colors and patterns are inspired by the military influence of the communist era during the same time frame.

A favorite is the Pleated georgette reglan-sleeve dress with disappearing camouflage print. The print disappears with heat and body heat, so it looks different on anyone who wears it. The silhouette is cosmopolitan and comfortable while maintaining a youthful sex appeal.

Of the technology enhanced, the Arbequine velveteen Victorian jacket with iPod controls stands out. Its design is reminiscent of the past while at the same time the feminine velveteen encapsulates iPod controls on the upper arm, so we don't forget this for women on the go in todays world. She can travel stylishly at ease with her music on her sleeve.

Scent, the most provocative way to memory of all the senses is revived in the scented fur accessories. The scents (collaborated with Joel Leonard a Copenhagen based perfumer) revive the lost art of scented furs. The aromas are inspired by vacation destinations of the past such as, the snow caps of St. Moritz, thermal springs of Vichy, the unforgettable Baden-Baden and beaches of Monte Carlo.

Angel writes "After spending a relaxing and rejuvenating vacation abroad, it seems all those euphoric feelings are quickly forgotten once one returns to the chaotic city...Fragrant fur belts, twisted fur cuffs and laser-cut fur purses allow the wearer to rediscover these long forgotten destinations through the power of scent." Transporting us into the memories of a far off place once visited, and begs to ask the question to the wearer: What inspires you?

Related:

* Photos from the Fall 2007 Collection on Flickr - Link.
* Natalie Zee Drieu's Angel Chang review - Link.
* Interview of Angel Chang on Switch - Link