So while Elwin is working on some ‘firefly’ effects for the jars project, I’ve been researching how to incorporate LEDs and fabric to create a kind of cloud effect inside the jar.

First comes frosting the jar to create some sort of initial diffusion for the lights.  I tried a few different ways to diffuse the jar, the first of which was glass etching solution that is brushed on, then washed off.  It took a while to take effect and a few tries to get the streaking to work better, but in the end the diffusion wasn’t consistent enough, so we tried another way.  I also tested a glass frosting spray, which essentially puts a diffusion coat over the glass.  It worked out pretty nicely and we love the effect!  We may need to spray it with some matte sealer and potentially even some urethane varnish, in order to protect the diffusion seal.

I first started with making a basic circuit with some normal LEDs (the red ones in the photos) and some tulle flowers.  It worked fairly well but it seemed pretty segmented and the diffusion of the fabric wasn’t exactly what we wanted.  I’d been waiting on an order from Sparkfun including some sewable LEDs and conductive thread, trying to get a better way to integrate the light and fabric to create a better ‘cloud’ feeling.

When the Sparkfun order finally came in, I got right to work! I made a quick circuit with the blue LEDs and tried it out in the jar, and it looks much closer to what we’re looking for!  The diffusion worked really well and the jar really felt like a glowing cloud.  This is going to be a great effect for a glowing, captured message!