I feel fairly confident in the panel and LED leads (although I am not delusional...I know they are not bulletproof), but I can see how the wires attaching onto the panels will be the weakest part. I need to think more on the backing material. I need to be able to attach it to the panel and the dress, but I want it to blend in. (Thus the reason I covered the panels with the same fabric as the dress...it's all about appearances. lol!) I also like the idea of the strain relief for the wiring... hmmmm....now my gears are working.... I appreciate this back and forth of ideas so much!
***some thoughts... The a-line aspect of the dress keeps it from being tight to my body. Makes it easier for me to move around under the dress without the dress flexing/moving too much. I am *not* a 'dance all night at the sound camps' kind of girl, and if I wanted to go dance, I'd probably not wear this dress...
As far as attaching the panels/backing...would it be better or worse to attach them at only the top two corners allowing the bottom to be more free, and thus not flexing with the dress so much (but would it open it up to more damage if it's just dangling there...?)Just a little more perspective... I took a picture of the pieces of my dress this morning. The black in the middle is the dress base. I am lining it with basic lining material (on the right) so that the wires are not directly in contact with my body. The lining may also be where I attach pockets to hold the circuit board and battery packs, but I'm still not certain of that. The pink is a sheer/gauzy material that I'm using as a little bit of diffusion. Not as good as something thicker, but better than nothing. (And it looks good.
) All three layers will be sewn together at the neck and arm holes, but left free down the sides and bottom to allow for movement, placement of panels and wires, and ease of repair if necessary.
p.s...thanks for the countdown update, babe! xoxo
Can't wait to see how this will look.
