Cat Ears

An upcoming costume required ears, but I've realized there aren't really any instructions on how to make these, so I had to make it up as I go along. Perhaps this will help someone.

Difficulty: Easy
Total Time: approx 3 hours

I bought a black headband that had a material covering to sew my ears to, but you could just as easily attach clips or hair pins and attach your ears straight to your hair.

First I made a pattern from paper by cutting and trimming until I reached a shape that I liked. At the centre of the head my ears fold over to try to make them look more natural.

Next I cut 2 pieces of polar fleece for each side and sewed the top edges together, leaving the bottom edge unsewn. These were turned inside out, then I hand stitched a small piece of black toy fur to the inside of the ear so it looks like longer fur coming from the inside (many anime ears show this, but real ears look a bit different).

I used pins to mark the centre of the headband and then hold the ears in place while I stitched them down. I found that they looked better with about two inches left between them at the top of the headband. Its easiest to stitch on the ears with a curved needle - in fact I think it would be almost impossible without one. Curved needles are really good for sewing something to a flat surface, especially if the surface is solid because the curve helps you to push the needle through and come up and out the other side.

Carefully stitch all the way around the ear. When you do the second one take extra care to keep the positions symetrical. And with a bit of patience, you will have some lovely fluffy ears.