Instead of treating each conductive petal contact of the this fabric tilt sensor as an individual digital input, the petals are connected through a resistive fabric ring. The end petals in this “resistor ladder” connectto GND and VCC to create a voltage divider (just like inside a potentiometer) and the bead makes for a voltage output. Depending on which petal the metal bead rests on, the analog reading will be unique.

The problem with this design is that the electrical contact between the bead and the petal needs to be really good (no resistance), so that no additional resistance interferes with interpreting the position of the bead based on where along the resistor ladder it is making contact.

Analog tilt sensor bracelet