Integrating Textile Materials with Electronic Making: Creating New Tools and Practices

Abstract

We introduce and discuss the design and use of new tools for electronic textile making. Electronic textiles, or eTextiles, are increasingly produced and used in experimental interfaces, wearables, interior design, as well as in the education and maker cultures. However, the field relies on tools specific to either the textile or the electronic domain, neglecting the distinct requirements, and potentials, of their intersection. To address this gap, we explored the design of new tools, targeted at specific needs and use cases of electronic textile making and the materials used. Three resulting prototypes have been evaluated through use in both our own practice and among a group of experts in the field. Our findings show the importance of specialized tools for routines essential to the field eTextiles, their role for the emergence of new practices, as well as for the understanding of the discipline.