I am making gloves to light up to reveal the numbers 1989 when held up by two people. The idea for this came from my friend and I discussing what to do for the Taylor Swift concert we are attending this Summer. Each glove has a different number on it corresponding with the way they will be viewed by the performer on stage.

What it does:
– the LED strips turn on to reveal desired pattern when the thumbs of both hands touch

Materials:
– two pairs of gloves (I used black because I ended up using white LEDs)
– LEDs in a flexible strip
– a 9v battery for each glove (I ended up with four batteries total)
– conductive thread
– a regular needle and thread
– Sheets of felt (I ended up using four because I needed a wrist strap at the end)
– Scissors
– hot glue gun and glue sticks (OPTIONAL)
– two alligator clips to test (OPTIONAL)

Step 1: Trace hand onto sheet of felt. 

– I used a piece of printer paper to trace my hand onto and then cut it out. Then I placed the cut out hand onto the felt and cut out the shape of the hand.

Step 2: Place LED strips into desired pattern. 

– The LED strips that I used came in sections of three, so they were able to be cut apart into threes if necessary.
– The LEDs also have a sticky side once you remove the paper backing. After the paper is removed, I placed them where I had pre-planned they would be.

TIP: Use the palm of the hand section to place your LEDs if you are attending a concert. The backhand can also be used, but make sure your LEDs don’t go onto the fingers. A little bit is okay but too much will ruin the LED.

Step 3: Use the conductive thread to sew positive and negative sections together

– Positive goes with positive, negative goes with negative.
– Make sure the conductive thread for the positive section does not touch the conductive thread for the negative sections.
– Optional step: Use the hot glue gun to keep the conductive thread on the back side of the felt separate so that no positive connections touch a negative section or visa versa.

Step 4: Use the needle and thread to secure LEDs into place on the felt

– Thread the needle with a color thread that will stand out on the felt. Because the LEDs have a sticky side, they will most likely not stay once placed inside out on the gloves.
– I went over the strips multiple times until I knew they were secure in their place. Stay away from the conductive thread and the positive/negative holes and connections.
– This step is optional but highly recommended.
– The picture above is the view from the back of the felt. It may look like a mess, but that’s okay.

Step 5: Use the needle and thread to secure the piece of felt to the glove
– Turn the gloves inside out and figure out how you will be wearing the glove and where the LEDs will show through.
– I sewed around the outer edges of the felt for the best connection.
– Avoid stabbing the needle through the LED strip.
– Carefully turn the gloves back the right way when you are done sewing them together.

Step 6: Connect the positive side to the LED with conductive thread. 
– When finished, connect the negative side of the LED with conductive thread to the thumb or wherever you would like your switch to activate. Then make another connection between the thumb and back to the negative side of the LED.
– Do this for each glove.

Step 7: Connect each side to the 9v battery with conductive thread or wiring.

– Positive side of the LED goes to the positive side of the battery. Negative side of the LED goes to the negative side of the battery.
– Optional: Use electrical tape to wrap around the conductive thread to make sure the conductive thread does not touch. If they touch, they will spark which is NOT GOOD.

Step 8: (Optional) Make a pocket for your 9v battery for each arm.
– Place the 9v battery in the middle of a sheet of felt. Make sure the section of felt will wrap around your wrist. (I made my sections three inches tall by six inches wide)
– Sew a pocket around the battery using the needle and thread and then sew the edges of the felt together to make a bracelet for your wrist