DIY Adventure Time Finn the Human Pillow

In October 2012, I decided to make myself a giant Finn the Human pillow(: I’ve gotten a lot of questions on how I made it, so I’m gonna try to explain it the best I can.

I wanted my pillow to be very large, so I had to buy a bigger yardage of fabric. Depending on the size you want your pillow to be, the yardage of fabric will vary.

If you have a sewing machine, it’ll make it much easier for you. But if you’re a crazy awesome hand sewer like me, you can totally do this and hand sew it yourself.

Things you’ll need:

1. Fabric of your choice in colors white and beige. (Used for his hat and face)

2. Crafting felt in colors black, white, and red. (Used for the eyes, mouth and teeth)

3. Sewing needle and thread in colors white, beige, black, and red.

4. Fluff to stuff your pillow with.

5. A pen

6. Sharp scissors

7. Sewing pins (optional)

I got my fabric, felt and stuffing from my nearest Joann Fabric and Craft store. I decided to go with a super plush, quilted white fabric for his hat and I got about two yards (six feet) of it. Next, I found a plain, almost like a thin velvet kind of fabric in a light beige color for his face. It’s only a tad bit darker than the white I chose for his hat, but you wanna make sure there’s enough contrast to tell the difference between fabrics. I ended up getting 3/4 of a yard of the beige color. Then I went and got three sheets of felt in the appropriate colors and I think they were under $1 each. For the polyester stuffing, I just bought whatever the cheapest one was. I don’t remember exactly what brand it was, but it was on sale for $5. So I bought it. And I only got one pack because I figured it would be enough.

The sewing supplies I already had at home from all the other sewing projects I’ve done. Everything I bought at the store was on sale, and I ended up spending about $17 all together to make this pillow.

First, I laid out the white fabric, with the quilted side down, and drew out the shape of his head using a pen. I tried to make it as even as possible, especially the ears. I took up as much space as the fabric would allow. Then I cut out the shape, and retraced it onto the remainder of the fabric to make the other side of the pillow. After, you should have two separate identical fabric shapes in the white fabric.

Tip: When cutting fabric, it’s always best to cut out a bigger shape than needed. If it’s too big for your liking you can always cut away more. You can never put more fabric back in.

Next, I laid out the beige color for his face and drew out a simple oval big enough to cover the middle of the white fabric. Sewing pins could come in handy here if you wanted to pin down where the face will begin and where it will end on the white fabric, but I decided not to use mine. After I cut out the oval, I laid it on top of the white fabric to see if the size of his face looked right and was symmetrical. If it’s too big, just trim it down so that it looks more proportionate. You only need one of these shapes.

Tip: Make sure all lines and edges of fabric are smooth and clean before sewing them together.

Now, you can sew on the beige fabric ON TOP of the white fabric. I’ve been sewing since I was little, so I just eyeballed where it needed to go and sewed it on without any real guidance. But if you’re not an avid sewer or don’t have a sewing machine, pins will be your best friend in the hand sewing process. Make sure you are using the same color thread as the color of the fabric. Beige colored fabric = beige colored thread. I began sewing the face and front hat piece together about two centimeters in to the beige color.

My next step was pretty simple. I just drew out the black oval eyes, the red mouth, and the white teeth. It’s best to use photo references of the look you wish to recreate. After cutting them out, I put them over the beige face to see how it all fit together. Trim down whatever needs trimming and make sure all lines run smoothly together, i.e. the teeth lining up with the top of the mouth correctly. After placing everything accordingly on to the face, I sewed all the features on.

Tip: The size of the fabric laid out will not be the same size as the finished product. It will be a little smaller because you have to take into account the inch on each side that you will be sewing in to put them together.

Now you should have one plain white fabric piece in the shape of Finn’s head, and one front fabric piece in the same shape but with his face, eyes, mouth, and teeth all sewed on.

And it’s time to sew together the last piece. For this, I actually sewed it inside out. So I laid the first fabric piece FACE UP and the second fabric piece right on top of it but FACE DOWN. So the quilted sides of the fabric were facing each other. And because this fabric is thick, I started sewing it in at one and a half inch, and continued all the way around. By sewing the two pieces together inside out, it gives you the perfect seam once you turn it right side out again. I left one side of the fabric open so that I could fill it with fluff!

When it’s turned right side out with one side open, it should look like a normal pillowcase… but with ears(: Then you can open your pack of fluff and stuff your pillow to your liking. I wanted mine to be super plush so I didn’t over stuff it. Looking at the stuffing I got and how big the pillow was, I was sure I was going to need another pack, but I was wrong. I still had half the bag left over!

And lastly, once your pillow is stuffed, just sew together the remaining section.

I LOVE how my pillow turned out and so did a lot of people. Apparently it looks like something that could be sold in stores. Lol. But you can definitely make it from scratch and still have it look great.

Hopefully this didn’t sound like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to you and you’re able to make your own awesome Finn the Human pillow!

Happy Crafting!(: