by Sarah Michelson

Created on: March 01, 2009

Cat ears are an essential part of cat costumes, and are just plain adorable for every day wear. If you have a child who loves cats, these are a sure-fire hit. I suggest using felt to make these decorated headbands, because it is sturdier than normal cloth. You should also back the ears with cardboard, to keep them from getting floppy.

The supplies you will need are as follows: cloth, felt preferably, in both the color of the ear and pink, for the inside, a headband, which ought to be the thick kind, preferable soft, because that is less likely to break, cardboard, and either embrodery thread and regular thread, or a hot glue gun. Preferably, both.

First, cut your felt into four large triangles, with curved bottoms. You want the ears to curve around when attached to the headband, so a round base is most effective. Cut the cardboard into matching shapes, albeit slightly smaller. Either glue or sew the ear pieces around the cardboard, which will make them more sturdy. If you want floppy ears, disregard this portion of the step. Cut the pink felt into two smaller triangles and attach, either with hot glue or decorative stiching. I suggest using both glue and stiching, because you want the ears to be fairly sturdy.

Next, cut a large rectangle of cloth in the color of the ears, to wrap the headband. While this is optional, it will make the headband significantly more comfortable and more finished looking. Either sew or glue the cloth into a tube, then slide it over the headband. Once it is on, make sure that the cloth isnt twisted and then sew or glue the ends. For securing the ends, I suggest sewing, because when hot glue stiffens it tends to stick out, which can be quite a nuisance.

Now that the headband and ears are prepped, attach the ears. You want them to be as stable as possible, so if you sew them you should sew on both sides. A whipstich will likely be most effective. You can also hot glue them, though this would be rather messy and less finished looking. Make sure that the ears are on straight when you attach them, and that they are evenly spaced. You dont want to be a lopsided cat.

Once the ears are attached, put the headband on, and voila. Your very own cat ears headband. You are now prepared to be catwoman, hello kitty, or whatever cat you wish to dress up as. Headband size will vary based on the size of the headband, so you can easily make these for adults or children. What's new, pussycat?

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