How to Make Furry Cat Ears

Creating the Cat Ear Base

Draw the cat ears on paper. This will be the template for the wire. Basically, you just need to draw two wide triangles. You might like to try drawing a few different sizes to see which size looks best on your head. You can cut out the template, or leave the cat ears drawn on the paper. Keep this design as your template for the remaining steps. Keep in mind that the template will be slightly smaller than the finished ears because of the fur. A template of about three inches is a good size to use. It doesn’t matter what you use to draw the ears, but pencil is good to use if you will be redrawing the ears multiple times.

Create the cat ears with jewelry wire. Following the paper template, bend the wire into the shape of the cat ears. Jewelry wire should be fairly easy to bend, but you can use a pair of long nose pliers to help form the shape. Do this for both ears and you should end up with two triangle shaped ears. If you don't have wire, you can use paperclips. Just straighten them out and use them as wire. Don't worry if they don't make a perfect triangle. It won't matter when you put them in the fur. Use glue to bind the sides until you put them in. Use a jewelry wire that is thicker so that it won’t fall out of shape when fur is added to them. 16 or 18 gauge is a good choice because it is thick, but can be bent without too much effort by using pliers.

Cut out the fake fur. Following the paper templates again, cut out four triangle shapes in fur. You can use any type of fur that appeals to you, like black, leopard print, or lion-like fur. Fur can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. These should be about a half an inch larger than the template, though, as the fur needs to hold the wire triangles inside once stitched up. Remember that you can always make it smaller if it's too big, but you can't make it bigger if it's too small.

Putting Together the Ears

Sew the fur together. Place two fur pieces together. The fur sides should be facing each other. Sew each side, but leave the bottom edge unsewn. That is the part you are going to insert the wire through to shape the ears. The finished product should be inside out. Repeat this step until you have two ears. There should be very little seam allowance—only about an ¼ of an inch. Use a color of thread that best matches the color of fur.

Flip the ears so that you can see the fur. The ears should be inside out with the fur parts facing each other once you have finished sewing. Now, turn the ears so that the fur is on the outside. The ear shape should be really obvious now. Inspect the ears to make sure that there aren’t any holes or mistakes. Turn the ears inside out and sew up any holes that you find. Use a pair of sewing scissors to cut the thread where any mistakes have been made. Remove the thread from that part and sew it back up with new thread.

Place the wire triangle pieces inside each ear. Insert the wire you shaped into triangles earlier into the furry ears. The wire should be able to fit snugly inside of the fur without too much or too little room. Adjust the wire if necessary.

Sew up the bottom of the ears. Once you have inserted the wires into the furry ears, sew up the bottom portion that is still open. There shouldn’t be any opening on the ears when you have finished sewing. It doesn't matter if this sewing line is messy, as nobody is going to see it.

Completing the Furry Cat Ears

Create the band for the ears. Measure the elastic band or ribbon around your head. The ribbon should cross over the top of your head rather than your forehead. You can find a band or ribbon at most arts and crafts stores. Sew or hot glue the ends together to form a circular headband that fits your head. If you’re using a ribbon, you can also choose to tie the ribbon in the back so that it is adjustable. If sewing, include a seam allowance in your measurements before cutting the ribbon. Tie the ribbon when testing it on your head to see how much ribbon will be needed in total. You can also choose to use a headband instead of an elastic band or ribbon.

Mark the placement for the ears. First, hold the band and ears together to see where the ears look most natural. Then, check in the mirror to see where the ears look best. Making marks on the headband while it is on your head, use a pen or marker to make marks where the ears will be covering. It may be easier to have someone help you make the marks while the band is on your head.

Attach the ears to the headband. Use hot glue to attach the cat ears onto the headband in the positions that you marked. Use just enough so that the ears stay up, but don’t use so much that the glue gets on other places on the headband or ribbon. Allow at least ten minutes for the glue to dry. Have someone help you with the hot glue if you aren’t comfortable with using it on your own.

Check the finished product. Once the glue has dried, try on the ears. The band should fit your head without sliding. The ears should be standing straight up. Make any adjustments as needed.