Introduction: Unicorn Fur Earmuffs W/ Light Up Horn

About: I am a veteran and full time college student. My interest in Arduino and microcontrollers has extended into my studies where I am pursuing my degree in Biomedical Engineering.

If you haven’t noticed, everything unicorn is trending! These super soft and fuzzy faux fur (unicorn fur) earmuffs are perfect for girls between 4-12. As you can see my son thinks they are really cool as well. After deciding to build these I wanted to make it so easy, even a kid can do it. So, I hope you all can make this project as a family.

The unicorn horn is a great addition to these colorful earmuffs and when accompanied by a few LEDs they become a very cool and unique accessory.

Supplies

These links below are for reference. I will specify if I used something different then linked.

-1x headband https://amzn.to/2OGK1aj (I used a purple one of these,however, these thicker ones may provide a more stable platform for the horn) https://amzn.to/31Hm3AR

- About 1 sq.ft. of faux fur https://amzn.to/3bnmSmY ( I reused mine from another project and bought it from Joann's Fabrics. Amazon is much cheaper)

-1x Low Loft batting https://amzn.to/31FvaCd (I bought mine in store and paid twice as much as amazon)

-1x set of battery operated LEDs https://amzn.to/2UKaWpk (I stole mine from an older project. However, these or anything like this will work fine)

-1x Unicorn Horn https://amzn.to/2Hb56Wk - These come painted. I used these https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Basic-Cr...

-1x Gold Glittery Paint https://amzn.to/31G9UfR (This can be subbed for whatever you want, Be Creative!)

Tools:

Needle and thread or sewing machine

Scissors

Hot glue gun

Marker

Disclaimer

When working on this project parent supervision is required. Some of the tools are dangerous and may cause injury if not used properly.

Step 1: Making the Earmuffs

1. Cut your fabric into two equal squares and lay them down (fur facing inside).

2. Using a circular object outline your earmuffs. I used a gatorade bottle because the bottom is slightly larger than most ears. Make sure to use something larger than the ear of the wearer.

3. Now, you can cut first or sew first. I sewed by hand and found it much easier to cut first. When cutting the fabric keep both sheets together evenly and cut approximately 1 inch larger than your circle from Step 2.

4. Sew away along your mark from Step 2! IMPORTANT- DO NOT sew all the way around you need a space to fill the earmuffs later. So leave approximately 2.5-3" open. See photos for an example.

5. Set one earmuff to the side for later use when we install the LEDs.

6. Once sewn, flip the earmuff inside out and fill it with batting. Be generous and periodically squish them flat so the filling is dispersed evenly.

7. Slide the headband into the earmuff. Sealing this can be tricky depending on how large your opening is but hot glue works very well. Simply squirt hot glue inside the earmuff onto the top batting (try not to get any on the fur). Being extremely careful and maybe even wearing heat resistant gloves, squeeze the earmuff closed. I did one side at a time. Please don't burn yourselves!

Step 2: Installing LED Circuit

Now, don't be surprised if your circuit or LED battery compartment looks different than mine. I took this from another item and adjusted it for this project. The LEDs linked above work the same way, look better, and the batteries will last longer.

1. Place the battery compartment with the ON/OFF switch facing down near the bottom of the earmuff (opposite of the opening you left when sewing). Make sure the LED wire is leading up toward the opening.

2. Hot glue the battery compartment in place.

3. Now, flip the earmuff inside out and fill it with batting. Be generous and periodically squish the earmuff flat so the filling is dispersed evenly. Fill it so the battery compartment is forced to the outside of the earmuff. If the battery compartment is in the middle between all the batting we will never be able to turn it on. :(

7. Slide the headband into the earmuff. Make sure the LED wire is pulled straight out of the earmuff and on the interior side of the headband. IMPORTANT - the ON/OFF switch side needs to be outward facing or your ear will be killing you haha. Sealing this can be tricky depending on how large your opening is but hot glue works very well. Simply squirt hot glue inside the earmuff onto the top batting (try not to get any on the fur). Being extremely careful and maybe even wearing heat resistant gloves, squeeze the earmuff closed. I did one side at a time. Please don't burn yourselves!

Step 3: Decorate Your Horn

This can be accomplished without instruction so, I will leave it up to you all to decide on how the horn should look. Please show me your creativity!

If you want it to look like mine, just paint it using the glittery gold paint listed in the supplies.

TIP

I used a small amount of hot glue to hold the horn upright while painting. This saves a lot of time since you only have to wait for it to dry once.

Step 4: Attaching LEDs and Horn

I did not try to conceal the wires because they are already so tiny. However, if I were to conceal them I would cut a small slit on the interior of the headband fabric and slide the wire up and pull them out at the top center.

1. Either conceal or otherwise route the wires as shown above. I used a small amount of glue to hold them in place. I only applied glue in two areas, top center and 1 inch above the earmuff.

2. Hot glue the horn to the headband. Hot glue is extremely hot and will burn you. Please have parent supervision and proper gloves before starting this project.

3. Wrap the LED wire around the horn ensuring the wire sits in each crevice of the horn. You may have to twist all the way up and down multiple times to use the entire length of wire. I used very small amounts of glue to hold the wire into the crevices.

Step 5: Conclusion

My entire family loves this warm and fuzzy project. I had a lot of fun making these and plan to make some more.

When I do this again I will use a wide headband. The skinny one works fine but the wide one may look better and provide more stability to the horn.

I hope you all can make these with your family!

Warm and Fuzzy Challenge

Runner Up in the
Warm and Fuzzy Challenge