Evolving list of materials for building wearable and eTextile projects. Some links are to the manufacturer, some are to distributors.
eTextile and Wearable Tech Tutorial/Project Websites
Fashioning Technology (The book is also fantastic)
Local to the Bay Area
Cond. + Resistive Fabrics
Cond. + Resistive Trims, Ribbons and Elastic
Tinsel Trading Company – Best to check metallic trimming in person with multimeter, or ask for shipped sample – NYC
Cond. + Resistive Thread and Yarn
Sold by Plusea (Hannah Perner Wilson)
Prefab Sensors, Buttons and Interfaces
Electronic Components, DIY Tutorials, and Kits
Jameco – local!!
Adafruit – great tutorials
Sparkfun – great tutorials
Pololu – particularly good for servos and robotics
ServoCity – everything servo + gearmotors and stepper motors
Miga Motors – muscle wire actuators
Speedway Motors – a great article geared towards kids (though I suspect you don’t need to be to find it useful) including a list of resources for learning the basics of an electronic circuit and electricity
Light Up
Cool Neon – EL wire and accessories
Fabric Paints and Pigments
Copper CuPro-Cote Paint (scroll down)
Y-Shield carbon base resistive paint
Solar Color Dust pigments
Matsui Paints
Thermochromic
Hardware That is Small, Powerful and/or Designed for Wearables