Materials/ideas for soft circuit cuff bracelet.

[hippyhillary]

I am signed up to teach a soft circuit led bracelet class at a regional con soon but am finding that obtaining the materials is cost prohibitive. The big issue is the battery holder. I tried creating a pocket with two pads of thread for the battery contacts (I've seen that done in some projects before) e, but the contact was too intermittent. Any suggestions for ways to reduce costs without making it a lame class?
The materials list is:
Felt (have)
Snaps for a switch (have)
Battery holder
Conductive thread (suggestions for an easy to work with thread are welcome. The one I currently have curls up and tangles any chance it gets)
Leds (one per bracelet)
Battery holder
Battery (probably a 2032 but i'm open to suggestions)
I am anticipating 10- 15 students. The other hitch is that i didnt realize how close to the con we are. I have a little less than two weeks to gather everything together and create an example or two.

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