Often when people ask me about leaders in wearable tech, I offer the name Hannah Perner-Wilson. She is the one you rarely hear about, yet you probably have seen a version of her E-textile sensors. Well, thanks to Anna Blumenkranz, the world is about to learn more about Hannah and her work. Anna has launched a book Wearables für Maker. Experimentieren, nähen, gestalten (Wearables for Makers. Experimenting, sewing, shaping). The book is filled with interviews of people doing E-textiles and Anna is currently posting some excerpts on her blog. So, here’s a snippet from the interview (which has been translated from German). 

Favorite tool?

Camera, cutter, crochet hook, multimeter, tweezers, sewing needle, soldering iron, pencil, paper and my hands.

How do you start a new project?

Playing around with materials helps developing ideas. Some of them later grow into projects. And sometimes they feed into a concept and you realise it. However while making a project I never stop questioning the initial idea and taking it further.

Advice to new E-textile newbies?

Start with materials. The multimeter offers you a possibility to discover and understand electrical properties. Experiment, document and share your results.

A big thanks to Anna for creating a book that all wearable techies will love. If you would like to take Hannah’s advice and explore conductive materials, check out our Sensor Film Kit. You can experiment with your own sensors using black sensor film, foil and adhesive polyester film. It’s always good to try new things—show us what you make!

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!