GlowClam is a plush night light designed to bring peace and comfort to users inspired by my own experience of falling asleep to the sound of ocean. It features a semi-rigid shell with smooth fabric and a more plushy and soft interior with soft lighting compared to the peal that sits on top of it which is the main light source. The different tactile and the partially hidden pearl encourages user to play with it. And feel the change of luminance as the shell open and close. GlowClam is designed for anyone who seeks a sense of peace and playfulness before bed. It encourages a bedtime ritual that feels safe and personal.
I have always been a night owl, which is why I’ve liked bats since I was young. They made me feel that I wasn’t alone during the late hours. That’s why I chose to create a Honduran White Bat. Originally, my idea was a cat paw, but even during the prototyping phase, I realized I liked bats more, and they fit the theme of night better. I also thought it would be fun to highlight the bat’s yellow nose and ears—contrasting with its white fur—using LEDs.
For my plush night I was inspired by my dog – Coco. I only get to see my dogs during the weekend and it made me think of how humans experience “separation anxiety” of sorts when they’re away from their pets – and vice versa. Although I haven’t come up with an idea with how to deal with it for our pets yet, I wanted to create a plushie that reminded you of the feeling your pet gives you.
This project is a plush night light designed in the form of a tooth and toothpaste set. The intention is to help children build positive associations with dental care—turning everyday routines into playful moments with familiar companions. At home, the night light provides gentle illumination that accompanies children to sleep. In the dental clinic, it can serve as both a decorative object and a comforting plush for children to hold during check-ups, reducing their fear of the dentist.
The target users are young children and dental professionals. For children, the night light creates a sense of companionship and safety, making it easier to brush their teeth and visit the dentist. For dentists, it offers a tool to decorate clinics in a child-friendly way while reducing patient anxiety.
Staying hydrated is a simple habit many people know is important for health, but in daily life it is often overlooked. With busy schedules, long hours of work, or constant focus on screens, people forget to drink water until they feel tired or unwell. This small reminder lamp was designed to serve as a gentle signal, encouraging people to pause, take a sip, and care for their bodies. It is not just a light, but a small reminder that health often begins with the simplest actions
For the snail I created my own pattern. After consulting with Becky, I understood the base shaped that would comprise the pattern. From there it was just test making the snail from muslin until I figured out the proper proportions for the pattern pieces and the proper sewing techniques (mainly order of assembly) for the pieces.
For the pillow I just sewed a simple square, and then hand stitched the sheer fabric on top to create texture.
Introducing the Heinz x Miss Tomato Plush Night Light, a delightful blend of comfort and creativity. Inspired by the beloved tomato slice, this plush night light is soft to the touch and features a gentle yellow glow that shines from its seeds, evoking the warmth of a ripe tomato under the summer sun. As the glow softly radiates, it creates a relaxing ambiance, perfect for unwinding after a long day. The light represents the same comforting feeling Heinz Tomato Ketchup brings to every meal—a staple of joy and simplicity.
Circuit Diagram
Process:
Challenge: Soldering 8 LED bulbs proved to be more difficult than expected, as it required precision to ensure that the connections were secure and that each bulb functioned properly. Looking ahead, I will need to solder even more bulbs for future designs, which means refining my technique and possibly exploring more efficient methods.
Another challenge I’m working through is figuring out how to effectively direct the light from the bulbs so that it shines naturally through the tomato seeds. It’s important to create the right diffusion so that the seeds appear to glow without the light being too harsh or uneven.
Mr. Pickle was designed and built for my daughter for her third birthday. Amelia loves pickles and loves stuffed animals. She’s also afraid of the dark. Mr. Pickle will be her light up companion to comfort her in darkness and gives her a friend to hold and hug when she’s feeling uneasy.
Materials
Green Minky Dotted Fabric
White Minky Fabric
Black Fabric
Solder
White LEDs
Battery Pack
Wire
Embroidery Thread
Needle
Fabric Scissors
Soldering Iron
ProjectJourney
This was my first time sewing since middle school, so I had to relearn a lot of stitches. For this project, I used a back stitch, cross stitch, and ladder stitch. The most challenging part of the project was sewing the eyes to the body. I decided to spend a little extra time and attention on the eyes to give Mr. Pickle more personality. I learned an important lesson that materials should be ordered early on to prevent unnecessary delays. I also learned that I can rely on my classmates for materials and guidance (shoutout Monty and Qianyue!). I found the sewing to be meditative, and I love how something that looks messy when it’s flipped inside out, can come together and look well-put-together when complete! Over the next two days, I still need to solder, stuff and stitch to complete Mr. Pickle in time for Amelia’s birthday party on Saturday.
Although I am still using a guy as the main body of the night light, the overall concept has changed. The new nightlight is called “Veggies Boy,” and he is having a picnic. As the name suggests, its purpose is to remind people to eat vegetables, so my target audience is children or adults who don’t like vegetables. From a slightly more “evil” perspective (since Halloween is coming soon), the story is that a child who didn’t like to eat vegetables was turned into a doll by a witch, and the only way to turn them back into a human is—by eating more vegetables!
Description of materials and parts used:
For the materials used: buttons, soft fabric , thick wires
Something new I tired:
In this project, I tried something new: splitting the wires extending from the battery box into two parts, connecting them to the positive and negative ends of the light bulb, while also adding heat shrink tubing, soldering resistors, and so on. Although the process was complex, I felt very excited and accomplished when I finally saw both light bulbs light up.
Surprising or Challenging Parts
This was also my first time attempting to connect different processed fabrics, even those already stuffed with cotton, through sewing. This turned out to be one of the biggest challenges I faced. For the connection between the doll’s legs and body, I only sewed from the outer side of the body, which resulted in a particularly stiff joint. For the connection between the doll’s arms and body, I tried a different method by sewing the fabric from the inside before stuffing it with cotton and threading wires. This made the joint look a bit better, though the outer stitching was still somewhat imperfect.
Future work
So, if I have time, I will put more effort into the connections between the body and limbs to make the joints more natural. I also want to make the doll more three-dimensional and am considering adding movable joints.I will also sew some vegetables to place in my basket, making the nightlight more closely align with my theme.
