Want to wear a hat that blocks the sun while showing off a set of pussycat ears? Fleece and knit hats with ears are adorable, but they can get too warm on a sunny day. Here are simple instructions for adding cat ears to a baseball cap tp make a practical head covering that still makes a statement.

Step 1: What You'll Need

Parts:

1 Plain six-panel baseball hat, structured or unstructured. I used this one
Medium weight fabric that matches the hat for the outer ears
Pink (or another contrasting color) felt for the inner ears
Thread
Wire (I used milliners wire) or pipe cleaners
Pattern for the ears (see PDF attached to this step)

Equipment:

Sewing machine (can also be hand sewn)
Seam ripper
Wire cutters
Pliers
Fabric scissors
Pins

CatEarTemplate.pdf
Download

Step 2: Cut Out the Ears

Print and cut out both ear templates. Pin the outer ear template to the fabric and cut four pieces. Pin the inner ear template to the felt and cut two pieces.

Step 3: Sew the Ears

Pin two of the outer ear pieces together and sew around the curved edges with a 1/2" seam. Leave the flat edge open. Trim the loose threads and invert the ear through the flat edge. You may need to use a pencil to completely push the tip of the ear through.

Using the wire cutters, cut a length of wire a little bit longer than the total length of the two curved edges of the ear. Bend the wire sharply in the middle with the pliers, until the shape matches the outer curved boundaries of the ear. Insert the bent wire fully into the ear.

Place one piece of felt on top of the ear so that the bottom edges align and the felt is centered between the two curved sides. Pin it in place.

With the wire still inside the ear, sew a seam about 1/8" inside the edges of the felt. Sew around the two curved sides, but not the flat side. Be careful not to hit the wire with the sewing machine needle as you go.

Once you are done, use the cutters to trim most of the excess wire hanging outside of the ear, and bend the tips of the wire over on themselves so that there are no exposed sharp ends.

Make a second ear just like the first.

Step 4: Prepare the Hat

Use the seam ripper to open up slots in the two seams where the panels join on either side of the brim. Make the slots just big enough for the width of the ears.

The panels that comprise the hat are sewn together directly, with an additional two seams on either side that join the panels to a piece of bias tape. Unless you cut the seam to the bias tape, your hole wont go through to the inside of the hat. Using the seam ripper to release the thread from the bias tape just BEHIND the seam you already opened up.

Place the open edge of one of the ears just inside one of the holes with the tip of the ear pointing forward and the felt side down, as shown in the picture. If you look inside the hat, about 1 cm of ear should protrude through the hole. Pin the ear in place.

Step 5: Sew the Ears to the Hat

Now maneuvering the hat carefully on the sewing machine, move the presser foot to the beginning of the hole you made for the ear. Sew a small length of zigzag stitch back and forth to prevent the hole from widening further. Don't sew the zigzag stitch on top of the ear.

Change the stitch type to straight and, lifting the needle out of the fabric, move the needle until it is over the ear and just inside the wire. Sew a straight line across the ear, approximately in the same place of the bias tape seam you just ripped out. Stop just before you get to the wire on the other side.

Lift the needle out of the fabric, change to a zigzag stitch and move the hat so that the needle is now just across the other side of the ear. Sew a zigzag stitch on the other side of the ear so that the hole in the hat won't open up any wider on that side.

Remove the hat from the sewing machine and trim the thread. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the second ear