Cosy Bear Hood – making the ears stand up

I can't seem to make my bear ears stand up! I've tried doing the hand stitching as detailed in the instructions, but it still doesn't seem to work for me. Any tips please? Also, I'm going to make a couple more, can I add vilene to stiffen the ears and make them stand up a little better? My fabric on the outer is a wool coating and the lining is flannel. Look forward to hearing from someone! Thanks in advance.