Leather ears were at Disneyland today!

Today the Studded Leather Mickey Mouse Ears I made for Mr. Kevin made it to the park on his head. I suspect he likes them.
There will be more photo's I'm sure.

I just updated all of my photos and listing selling these ears in my Etsy shop.
Take a look,

Rickilt Beman Designs, Etsy

If your interested and live in the greater Los Angeles area, contact me here (blogger) to place an order, we can arrange for direct delivery and cut out the cost of shipping.

Posted a new style of hat to Etsy; Oswald

Oswald was Walt's creation before Mickey.
He lost the rights to the happy rabbit, and was forced to create the famous Mickey Mouse to replace him.

Now that Disney has secured the rights to the Oswald character, they are offering a new version of the famous ears based on Oswald's rabbit ears and the same black felt hat the was the base for classic Mickey Mouse Ears. The machines that personalize the Mouse ears won't work on the Oswald Ears though. But since I work by hand stitching I CAN!

So I am offering the Oswald ears personalized in the way my ears have been personalized, as well as simply chain stitching them like the classic Mickey Ears.

The Oswald Ears 

Personalized Oswaldo Ears on Etsy

Leather Stud

IN PROGRESS!

This hat is commissioned for a long time friend and Disney theme park fan Mr. Kevin.
I knew him first as a Leather Man, so his hat is real lamb leather with 1/4 inch nickel studs to identify him and to show his Mickey ear pride, These ears fit for a real man.

The studs spelling the name in back are 1/4 inch nickle pyramid studs. The Mickey in front is abstracted with round and oval nickels studs. There will be whimsical single nickel spike at the center top to suggest an old school motor cycle helmet.

Fitting a name in studs this large is a challenge (and I am using the smallest studs available.) Even deciding to go with just "Mr." as I address him required careful planning. I tested everything out with graph paper and studs on foam core before I start working on the leather.

Ears like this would never be sold by Disney!

The Studs spelling "Mr." on the leather
 before it's applied to the hat.  

Test of "Mr." in 1/4" nickel pyramid
 studs  on foam core to get proportions
 and placement confirmed.

Test of round and oval studs as
abstracted Mickey Mouse

Chalk Board

IN PROGRESS!

These ears are being custom made to order to be purchased as a gift for an elementary school teacher. They feature hand embroidery that looks like chalk writing the name and a felt piece of chalk placed as if it just finished writing. The look is classic and simple but the process to achieve it is a labor of love.

Over an hour of planing stitching is involved in preparing the area that will be stitched with white thread to give the realistic texture of chalk on a black board. layout lines are stitched in yellow to set up the area that will have the writing, then actual chalk is used to write the name in the prepared space.



This is then outlined in orange thread as a guide. By the time all the edges are defined with orange most of the chalk has been worn off.







The yellow thread is removed and the hat is finally ready for the white thread to start creating the uneven texture of chalk.

Order Now for Holiday Gift Giving.

The December Holidays are rapidly approaching.

If you want to give a pair of beautifully plussed, personalized Micky Mouse ears as a gift I need you to contact me now to discus what you want.

I can add hand embroidery, beading, appliqué, sequins, rhinestones and crystals, and repaint the ears themselves to a new color to work even if we re-theme them completely. I am also prepared to cover the felt portion of a hat completely with real leather, and use studs to personalize with name and picture of Mickey on the front.

I don't say no to ANY nicknames like they do in the park.

As you can tell from my pictures I can really create a unique set for you that is either subtle or over the top, but entirely "YOU."

All ears will be completed with a name, nick name or other identifier on them.

Saint Patrick's Day

Click any photo to Enlarge.

This hat is the most complex I have created so far. The Leprechaun's pot of gold is velvet and stuffed to make it rounded like a pot should be. The gold is created with a mix of various gold, cooper and silver beads. there are three leafed clovers and one four leaf shamrock in the open green spaces. The Rainbow is individually sewn down sequins and the Cloud is made of pears and has a surprise when viewed from a very specific angle.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/169221693/saint-patricks-day-mickey-mouse-ears?

Glittering Gold

 

the front is beaded around the stitched
50th Anniversary double Mickey emblem

The back of the hat with
embroidered name and year.

 I created these ears on a base of the 50th Aniversary Gold Ears sold in the park early in the 2005 Celebration year. Later in the year dates were not offered as an option for embroidery. I still want to go back in and fill the space around my name and date with more beads some day.
Click any picture to enlarge.

The top of the beaded hat.

For even more information and a chance to own...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/169399478/glitering-gold-custom-hand-beaded-50th?

Tie Dye

Detail of Butterfly Crystal inside
the spiral at the end of name.

detail of scrolling left of "R."

These ears are done on a hat that came looking like a tie dyed rainbow. I used an iridescent black bead for the flowing lettering and accented this with an iridescent flower and a Swarovski butterfly crystal. Click on images to see them larger.

Center shot of name,
note flower as the dot on the "i."

Mixed Crystals, silver, pearl and clear beads.

At the top of the "G" is a
Swarovski Crystal Butterfly

I made these ears for my Figure Skating Coach Garry's Birthday.

They are a mix of sliver metal, silvered glass, sliver lined glass, Swarovski crystal, and pearl beads.

Click any picture to enlarge.

The swirl at the end of the "y"
 has a stack of beads that
stick out from the hat.

Order NOW! Gift Season is almost here!

The December Holidays are rapidly approaching.

If you want to give a pair of beautifully plussed Micky Mouse ears as a gift I need you to contact me now to discus what you want.

I can add hand embroidery, beading, appliqué, sequins, rhinestones and crystals, and repaint the ears themselves to a new color to work even if we re-theme them completely.

I don't say no to ANY nicknames like they do in the park.

As you can tell from my pictures I can really create a unique set for you that is either subtle or over the top, but entirely "YOU."

Casual Crusin' Blue Jeans

Click on picture to enlarge.

These ears are subtle to say the least. The stitching is in stem stitch to match the detail stitching that brings out the jeans motif. The Pocket flag is cut down from a full size red hanky and easily pulls out of the pocket to be exchanged for other colors, based on the mood. O.K. so the ability to flag on a pair of Mouse ears is not really so subtle but not everybody would understand what's happening with that anyway.

Small Ears

Mango in his Ears

Click any pic to enlarge.

Close up of the stitching

Mango's mini
Mickey Mouse Ears


I hand stitched this hat in a shimmery white thread for my friend Marvin to give to Mango. The hat was the bear size hat from build a bear, so it's too small for the machines at the park. Marvin didn't want anything too flashy for Mango. So there aren't any beads, or crystals. It is real hand sewn chain stitch though. Note the ears stitched onto the final "o". As you can see it fits. I assure you that mango likes it; Marvin said so.

Rhinestones!

Click photo to enlarge.

This is full back rhinestones set in a metal chain, fitted to the machine embroidered copy of Walt's handwriting (that embroidery used to be available as a standard stitching with the purchase of a hat at only one location in the park.) It is the quickest form of embellishment I can offer and one of the best at getting noticed. But the materials cost is on the higher end. 

My Pearls

Click photo to enlarge

These more conservative or subtle ears are beaded in seed pearls with a sequin flower to dot the "i". The original stitching of my name was some of the last hand controlled, chain stitched embroidery available at Disneyland.