Pin the Tail on the Donkey

My switch is the classic game of pin the tail on the donkey with the tail being used to close the circuit.  I created a parallel circuit using one button battery and two LEDs. I made the donkey design through sewing a fabric tapestry, creating the circuit through stitching conductive thread on the back. The eyes, when the tail is attached, light up. This is done with the help of a second layer of fabric behind the eyes. The LEDs are sewn there to allow light to diffuse through thinner fabric. The connection between the “wires” is completed with conductive snaps. The tail attaches through the use of conductive velcro, allowing the circuit to be closed with contact. I wanted to keep my project similar to the classic game of pin the tail on the donkey. That is why I chose to create a fabric tapestry for this project.

Materials:

• Fabric (brown, white, patterned)
• Interfacing (iron-on)
• Yarn (brown)
• Sharpie
• Small Snaps (x4)
• Button Battery and Battery Holder
• Conductive Thread
• LEDs (x2, white)
• Thread (black)
• Needles and Pins
• Knitting Needle and Crochet Hook
• Cotton Yarn (white and red)
• Conductive Velcro
• Clear Nail Polish

To close the circuit, the tail must be attached (by using the velcro back) in the center of the target.

Yay! Now the eyes light up!!

Stitched on the back of the tapestry, there is the stitched-on circuit. There is the small opening left where the conductive thread goes all the way through the layers to the front. That is where the tail goes.

On the right side of the brown backing fabric, I stitched a parallel circuit with the two LEDs. They are lined up with the eyes, allowing the light to only have to travel through one layer of fabric. The snaps, when attached, connect the lights to the battery.