Quick and Easy Costume Ears

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was invited to a dress-up superhero birthday party and she was so excited. We love dressing up around here! She immediately decided to be Wonder Woman . . . a super deluxe, glittery, booted, Wonder Woman. Right on! But when I asked her if she wanted to be Wonder Woman for Halloween she said she didn't. Oh. I really didn't want to buy an expensive costume for a one-time wear or spend a week making one and trying to get it just right for a two-hour party. Bummer. We went back to the drawing board and decided to pull something together using stuff we had lying around the house. A black leotard and black tights set the foundation for Cat Girl and a black mask and quick felt ears completed the look. 

And you know what? She LOVED the ears. We've made some elaborate ears (check them out here) but these barrette ears are so lightweight that she wore them a good chunk of the day . . . and other days. Even out to dinner. My sister-in-law has rocked them and if you don't overdo the embellishment, they're pretty understated, i.e. they don't look too crazy for a teen/tween/adult. Love! You should make some too. Here's how:

First, gather your supplies. Felt (I used less than one sheet), scissors, embroidery floss, needle and two barrettes (the kind pictured works well).

Next, fold your felt into a double layer. You will need two identical pieces for each ear.  If you like, grab a marker and draw two ears, using the straight edge of the felt for the bottom of the ears.

Cut out two ear shapes. Because you're cutting a double layer, you will have two of each ear.

Stitch the two identical pieces together around the top of each ear. Repeat for the other ear. For a no-sew project, glue the pieces together  with a line of glue between the two pieces where the stitch line would be. Let dry before moving on to the next step.

Next, using sharp scissors fold each piece in half to cut a small slit just large enough to slide the barrette in. Start small! It's easier to enlarge the slit than to stitch part of it closed again (I speak from experience).

Insert the barrette backwards when wearing them so that the large part of the barrette is hidden behind the ear. You can even slide them into your hair so that the barrette is mostly hidden. (Unless you have a three-year-old like mine that doesn't like to hold still :)

Enjoy your quick, easy, costume ears! And if you love the beautiful photos, check out Jessica Peterson Photography here.