Although David Crittenden was not selected as an official competitor, that didn’t stop him from building along during the Adafruit/element14 Hats Off Challenge, and I am very impressed with his Coachman’s Navigational Top Hat!
When I decided to enter this contest I wanted to make a hat that could act as a compass for the wearer. I have a poor sense of direction and thought such a hat would be handy at burning man or other festivals. It grew into a desire to really showcase some of my skills, old and new. I have been working as a hat and costume maker for the past 18 years. I have made a few light up costumes with flashlight bulbs and bulky batteries, but never made the jump into LEDs. Earlier this year I discovered Adafruit and their wonderful learning site, and I absorbed as quickly as I could. I used this contest to prove to myself that I could offer new skills to my boss and other designers that we work with. I really enjoyed the opportunity to make something real for myself. The public blogging side of things helped keep me on task and making progress. I also documented my process far more detailed than I ever had.
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!