Playing a sheep is a common, fun costume for Halloween for all ages and for Easter or holiday plays for children. While a full-body sheep costume can involve a lot of effort, sheep ears are a cute accessory that straightforwardly communicates the sheep idea with minimal work. Paired with a little makeup, this simple costume piece can convey all the cuteness of these fluffy critters without going overboard or over-budget.
Preparations for the Sheep Ears Headband
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To begin making your costume sheep ears, first select a fabric and a mounting. Common mountings are headbands or hoods. For colder conditions, such as trick-or-treating in October, the warmth of a hoodie would be more appropriate. While Christmas plays may seem to indicate a similar cold-weather approach, stage lights are quite hot and a headband might be more appropriate for both for the winter holiday season and Easter plays.
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In addition to selecting the appropriate mounting, a suitably plush fabric in an appropriate color must be used. A classic sheep look features white ears with a soft pink center, but black sheep or the adorable black-faced sheep can use darker colors. While white-wooled, black-faced sheep are a cute look, for a costume, they come across better as a full-body look. The most iconic sheep look is a white sheep, so in most cases white, short-pile plush fabric will be appropriate.
The rest of this guide assumes the ears are mounted on a headband. For ears mounted on a hood, make the ear shapes as indicated and sew them directly onto the hood, omitting the steps related to covering the headband.
How to Make Costume Sheep Ears
Step 1: Cut Fabric for the Headband
Cut a long rectangle from the plush fabric that is wide enough to cover the headband around the outside and inside, to be sewn together along the underside. It should be 1 inch longer than the length of the headband so the additional length can be tucked under and inside to cover the ends of the headband.
Step 2: Cut Fabric for the Ears
Cut two 4-inch long, 3 1/2 inch-wide rectangles to make the ears. If you want to include a pink center, measure two pink rectangles 1/2 inch smaller along the left, right and top edges.
Step 3: Pin the Ear Rectangles
Measure 3 1/2 inches down the long side of the ear rectangles and place a pin at that point. The remaining half inch will be the base of the ear that will attach to the mounting.
Step 4: Cut and Sew the Ears
Cut and sew the ear shape. Sheep ears have a long, leaf-shaped look with a round tip. Orient the rectangles so that the longer side will form the bottom and tip of the ear. Because the ear will be sewn closed at the bottom, the base should be wide and gently come together to a slightly rounded tip. Shape the pink insides similarly, and attach them inside.
Step 5: Sew the Ears Closed
Once you've cut the ear shape, pinch the bottom of the base together and sew the bottom edge closed at the line marked by the pin. Sew the other ear closed at the 3 1/2 line, like the first ear.
Step 6: Attach the Fabric to the Headband
Attach the long rectangle of fabric to the headband using craft glue. Apply craft glue to the entire headband and wrap the fabric around it, tucking in the long edges. Allow 12 hours for the glue to dry.
Step 7: Attach the Ears to the Headband
Attach the ears to the headband. You can use the extra 1/2 inch to glue or sew the ears onto the headband. Sheep ears are usually positioned out to the side rather than on top of the head, facing slightly forward. On a human, positioning the ears about a third of the way out from the top of the head and turned slightly inwards will create the correct look. If attaching the ears to a hoodie, don't be worried if they droop. Older sheep and certain breeds of sheep have droopy ears, so play into the look.
