Mouse Ears!

What is the number one souvenir that most American Girl dolls need from Disney World - Mouse Ears, of course!

I made our American Girl doll two sets of Minnie Mouse Ears. Set number one is a classic set of mouse ears. I created a beanie hat and added the mouse ears to it. I didn't have a pattern for mouse ears, or anything that resembled mouse ears, so I created my own pattern as I went. The beanie cap is a moon shaped circle made from felt. I cut four round circles that I doubled up and stitched together, then I stitched them on the inside of the beanie with the right sides facing, so when I flipped the beanie right side out, the ears would pop to the top of the head. I really like how these turned out except for the fact that the ears are a little of to the left. I tilted the cap on Daphne's head slightly to center the ears (I couldn't tear out the stitching to try again because of the type of stitch I used). I created a "puff" ribbon by stitching a long piece of fabric in a square, stuffing it, and tying a piece a material around it. It is hand stitched to the hat.

Our second pair of Minnie Mouse ears are sewn on a felt headband. The headband is a wide piece of felt that I folded in thirds and sewed to a ponytail holder to give it stretch. The mouse ears here are also made from four circles of felt sewn together. If you look closely you'll see that they are top stitched with a zigzag stitch to give them detail. They are sewn directly onto the headband. I added a fabric bow to one of the ears; it is hand stitched in place.

I love how the mouse ears complete the Minnie Mouse look, but I have to admit they were a lot of work. It took me the same amount of time to make just one set of Mouse ears as it did to make an entire outfit.