E-Textile Basics
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
View the updated tutorial: LilyPad Basics: E-Sewing
Mando 
What is LilyPad?
LilyPad is a wearable e-textile technology developed by Leah Buechley and cooperatively designed by Leah and SparkFun. The LilyPad brand includes serveral microcontrollers derived from the Arduino project. Each LilyPad product was creatively designed to have large connecting pads to allow them to be sewn into clothing. Various input, output, power, and sensor boards are available. They’re even washable!
LilyPad boards make it easy to add life to your wearables with an assortment of sensors, LEDs, buzzers, and many other input and output devices. Incorporating a microcontroller give you total control over the look and behavior of your project!
For a more comprehensive list of LilyPad Arduino boards, please check out our comparison guide.