Unicorn Head Plush Pillow

Load the Unicorn Head Plush (Cut & Stitch) file into your cutting machine’s software. Notice that it has multiple cutting files to fit all the pieces. These are labeled with “A”, “B”, “C”, etc., and are organized by how they fit into a file and not necessarily by fabric.

This design has five different fabric and iron-on vinyl colors. Proceed in the design software until the first color selection appears, and is ready to be cut.

Smooth the first material onto the adhesive mat with the right side of the fabric or iron-on vinyl facing down. Make sure the correct knife tool is in place. Then load the adhesive mat into the machine.

For iron-on vinyl, make sure to use the correct settings on your cutting machine to match the material you’ve chosen.

Cut out the first color. Carefully remove the cut pieces and excess materials.

Repeat to cut all of the fabric and iron-on pieces for the Unicorn Plush out of the five colors.

First take the unicorn’s mane (color 2), and fold it in half by matching up the two long, opposite sides. Pin just along the two shorter ends.

Sew a 1/4” seam only where pinned, leaving the long sides open.

Then turn the mane right side out.

Press the sewn short ends along with the fold.

To gather the mane, make sure you have long tails of thread on the machine, and sew a long running stitch (4-6mm stitch length) along the long raw edge with a 1/4” seam allowance. In this example, the bobbin thread is teal and the top thread is red, so you can tell them apart.

Pull on the bobbin thread (shown in teal) while holding onto the fabric to make it gather. Do not pull too hard, because if the thread snaps, you will need to seam rip it out, and resew the gathering stitch.

Gather the mane until it is small enough to reach just from the top horn notch to the bottom notch on one of the side pieces. You can push the gather around while holding onto the bobbin thread to make it more evenly gathered across the mane. Set this aside for later.

To make the ears (color 1), match up the pieces with right sides together, and pin along the edges.

Sew a 1/4” seam, but make sure to leave the bottom edge with the notch open for turning.

Then trim away or cut little slits or triangles into the seam allowance along the curves of the ear. This will prevent puckering around the seams when turned.

Then turn the ears right side out. Repeat for both ears, and set them aside for later.

To make the horn (color 3), match up the two pieces with right sides together, and pin along the edges.

Sew a 1/4” seam, but make sure to leave the bottom edge with the notch open for turning.

Trim away or cut little slits or triangles into the seam allowance along the top point of the horn. Then turn it right side out, and stuff it firmly with polyester fiberfill.

Make sure to leave the bottom 1/2” unstuffed so it can be sewn onto the head without having to sew through the stuffing. Set aside the horn for later.

To add the first eye (color 4), position it on the first face piece (color 1), so that it is almost centered and about 3 3/4” away from the top ear notch.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions, use a heat press or dry iron and a pressing cloth the adhere the eye in place.

Position the first cheek (color 5) below the eye, and adhere it in place following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Then repeat to adhere the eye and cheek onto the other side of the face. To help place the pieces in the exact same spot, match up the two face sides with wrong sides together, and pin them so they stay lined up. Then hold the pinned pieces against a window or light box so you can see through them, and place the iron-on vinyl pieces in the exact same position on the second face piece.

Take one of the finished ears (color 1), and match up its notch with the top notch along the back side of one face piece. Pin it in place.

Repeat for the other ear and face piece. Make sure both have the more curved side of the ear facing down.

Then match up the horn (color 3) with the other top notch on just one of the sides. Pin it in place. It does not matter which side you pin it onto.

On the other side (without the horn), pin the ruffled mane piece that was made earlier between the top horn notch and the notch near the bottom of the unicorn head.

It is very important not to match the edges of the fabric up when pinning. Instead the mane should hang over the edge of the face piece 1/4”, so the fabric edge lines up with the sewn ruffle stitch on the mane. This will prevent the ruffle stitching from showing at all when the unicorn is completed.

Then baste (4mm-6mm stitch length) or sew a 1/8” seam along the edge of the face piece to hold the ruffle permanently in place. The 1/8” seam works best as it will end up in the seam allowance of the final sewn seam and not show at all when the unicorn is finished. Remove the pins as you sew.

Then repeat to baste or sew the horn and ear onto the opposite side of the head.

Once all the pieces are basted together, match up the two face pieces with right sides together. Pin along the edges.

Sew a 1/4” seam. Make sure to leave a 5” opening along the bottom edge for turning.

Trim away or cut little slits or triangles into the seam allowance along the curves and points of the unicorn head.

Then turn it right side out.

Stuff the unicorn head firmly with polyester fiberfill.

Then topstitch or hand sew the opening closed using thread that matches the face piece fabric.

This completes the Unicorn Head Plush. Repeat these steps to make many unicorns in different colors and fabrics. Make sure not to resize these designs, as the seam allowance makes them unscalable.