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Clip-on cat ears for when you’re feeling a little bit feline! The occasion? Well, to be perfectly honest, I set out making these for my niece’s 5th birthday (she happens to love cats–her cat, Mo, in particular), but I didn’t finish them in time (despite the fact that they only take about 10-15 minutes to complete!). It turns out, though, that there was a higher power (called glitter) at work and the delay was well worth it: I recently got a delivery of Tulip’s new iron-on glitter sheets and I realized that the delay was meant to be (because what would these ears be without the sparkle?).

Save these for Halloween if you want, but why wait? I believe in wearing fun accessories whenever the mood strikes–because, hey, some days you just feel like a cat and here’s the perfect accessory to let you indulge that feeling. And talk about fun in the sun–these ears sure do sparkle!

Materials:
-Pen or pencil
-Scrap of paper
-Colorful felt
-All-purpose scissors
-Fabric scissors
-Metal snap barrettes
–Aleene’s Fabric Fusion fabric glue
–Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets
-Pressing cloth
-Iron

Make it:
1. Use the pen and paper to sketch out a slightly rounded triangle, about 2″ high. Add 1/2″ at the base of the triangle and then mirror the shape below it to create the template. Cut it out with the all-purpose scissors. (You can also fold the paper at the base after you’ve drawn the top triangle and the extended base, and cut around the shape through both layers.)

2. Fold over the felt and lay the template on top of the folded section. Use the fabric scissors to cut around the template, through both layers.

3. Mark and cut a second template, in the shape of a rounded triangle, about 1/4″ smaller on all sides than the original triangle in Step 1.

4. Select a color from the iron-on glitter sheets and trace the second template twice onto the shiny surface. Use the all-purpose scissors to cut them out. Peel away the shiny surface layer and arrange them on the felt ear pieces. Lay a pressing cloth over the ears, and press firmly with the iron for about 40 seconds. (Repeat if necessary to set the glitter transfer.)

5. Clip the metal barrettes in the center, on each side of each felt ear piece, so that the top of the barrette corresponds to the wrong side of the ear piece and vice versa. Generously apply fabric glue around the edge of the wrong side of the ear piece. (The felt absorbs a lot of the glue, so don’t be stingy!)

6. Fold the ear piece around the top of the barrette to seal the glue, and repeat on the second barrette.

7. Let dry. Optional: Clip the layers together with extra barrette clips while the glue dries!

8. Quick! Try them on before the actual cat who’s been helping you craft gets a little too interested and starts batting them off your workspace!

(Special thanks to Tulu the cat for “helping.”)

Tags: Cat costume ears, cat ear barrettes, glitter, iron-on transfers

[ Posted on June 28th, 2011 ]