Mountain Cabin Stag Silhouette Crochet Pillow Free Pattern

Mountain Cabin Stag Silhouette Crochet Pillow

If you have ever wanted to make something that looks like it belongs in a cozy cabin by the lake, this is the project for you. This pillow is perfect for complete beginners because the whole body is made from one simple stitch repeated over and over — single crochet — so your hands get lots of practice while your mind relaxes. The finished pillow is a soft, dense, slightly ridged rectangle in a deep olive green, about 12 x 16 inches, with a warm ochre stag head stitched proudly on the front. It feels squishy and firm at the same time, like a well-loved cushion, and it brings instant rustic charm to a sofa, a reading chair, or a guest bed. You only need two colors of yarn, one hook, and the patience to repeat one easy row — that is truly all it takes.

Materials Needed

• Yarn (pillow and border): Worsted weight (#4) acrylic yarn, approximately 420 yd (384 m) in olive green.
• Yarn (appliqué): Worsted weight (#4) acrylic yarn, approximately 45 yd (41 m) in ochre (mustard yellow).
• Crochet hook: Size H/8 (5.0 mm), or whatever size gives you the gauge below.
• Stitch markers: At least 4 (used to mark the first stitch of rounds and corners).
• Yarn needle (tapestry needle): A large, blunt-tipped needle with an eye big enough for worsted yarn, for seaming and attaching the appliqué.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Stuffing: One 12 x 16 in (30 x 40 cm) pillow insert, or a small amount of polyester fiberfill (plus a little extra for the stag head).
• Finished size: Pillow approximately 12 x 16 in (30 x 40 cm); stag appliqué approximately 6 x 7 in (15 x 18 cm) at its widest points.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Make a loop with the yarn on your hook, wrap the yarn over the hook, and pull it through the loop. That is one chain. A row of chains is your starting "foundation."
• sc – single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over the hook, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), wrap the yarn over again, and pull it through both loops. One single crochet made.
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap the yarn over, and pull it straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook in one motion. It makes a nearly invisible joining stitch.
• 2 sc in next st – work two single crochets into the same stitch. This increases your stitch count by one.
• sc2tog – single crochet two stitches together. Insert your hook into the first stitch, pull up a loop, insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. This decreases your stitch count by one.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches.
• tog – together.
• turn – flip your work over so you can crochet back along the row you just finished.
• magic ring – an adjustable loop of yarn. Wrap the yarn around your fingers to make a ring, then work your stitches into that ring and pull the tail tight to close the hole in the middle.
• fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work, then pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• wrong side / right side – the "right side" is the pretty, outward-facing side of your fabric; the "wrong side" is the back.
• whipstitch – a simple seaming stitch: bring the needle through both layers from front to back, then over the edge and through again, making small diagonal stitches that wrap the edge.
• mattress stitch – a seaming stitch that goes back and forth between the two edges, pulling them together so the seam almost disappears.

Gauge

16 sc x 18 rows = 4 x 4 in (10 x 10 cm) in single crochet, unblocked.

Gauge simply means "how big your stitches come out." It matters because it decides the final size of your pillow: if your stitches are bigger than the gauge, your pillow will be too big for a 12 x 16 insert; if they are smaller, it will be too tight. To check, crochet a small practice square about 5 x 5 inches in single crochet, lay a ruler across the middle, and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches and how many rows fit in 4 inches. If you have more than 16 stitches, switch to a larger hook; if you have fewer, switch to a smaller hook. Do not skip this step — it takes ten minutes and saves hours.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every row. The pillow body is one repeated row, so it is easy to lose track. Keep a tally on paper or use a row counter app, and check your stitch count (48) at the end of each row.
• Do not pull the yarn too tight. Tension is the number-one beginner struggle. Hold the yarn gently; your stitches should slide easily on the hook. Tight stitches make a stiff, small pillow.
• Use stitch markers. Place one in the very first stitch of each round of the stag head so you always know where a round begins and ends. Mark the four corners of the border too.
• The turning chain is not a stitch. At the start of every row you make one chain, then turn. That chain does not count, so your first single crochet goes into the very first stitch. This keeps your edges straight.
• Keep your two panels identical. Make the second panel right after the first while the rhythm is fresh, and lay them side by side to compare before seaming.
• Stuff gently. Overstuffing stretches the stitches and makes the pillow lumpy. Fill until it is gently firm, then stop.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Notes: All instructions use US crochet terms. The pillow is worked flat in single crochet rows from the bottom up. The chain 1 at the beginning of a row does not count as a stitch; work the first sc of every row into the first stitch.

Pillow Panel (make 2)

With olive, ch 49.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn. (48 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (48 sc)

Rows 3–72: Repeat Row 2. (48 sc) — 72 rows total, which at 18 rows per 4 inches gives you 16 in (40 cm) from the foundation chain. End after a wrong-side row. Fasten off, leaving a 24 in (60 cm) tail for seaming. Work a second identical panel.

Joining and Stuffing

With right sides facing (the prettier side of each panel facing inward), align the two panels. Thread the long tail onto your yarn needle and whipstitch or mattress-stitch the two side edges and the bottom edge closed, leaving the top edge open. Turn the pillow right side out through the opening. Insert the 12 x 16 in pillow insert, or stuff evenly with polyester fiberfill until gently firm. Fold the top edges together and whipstitch the top closed. Weave in the ends.

Single-Crochet Border

Join olive with a slip stitch at any corner of the pillow edge.

Round 1: Ch 1, work sc evenly around the entire outer edge — 1 sc in each stitch along the top and bottom, and 1 sc in each row-end along the sides — working 3 sc in each corner so the corners turn smoothly. Join with a slip stitch to the first sc.

Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with a slip stitch. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Stag Head Appliqué (make 1, in ochre)

Worked in continuous rounds (a spiral, with no joining) unless otherwise stated. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.

Round 1: Make a magic ring, work 6 sc into the ring. (6 sc)

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Round 3: [Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] around. (18 sc)

Round 4: [Sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] around. (24 sc)

Rounds 5–9: Sc in each st around. (24 sc)

Round 10: [Sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] around. (18 sc)

Round 11: Sc in each st around. (18 sc)

Round 12: [Sc in next st, sc2tog] around. (12 sc)

Round 13: Sc in each st around. (12 sc)

Round 14: Sc2tog around. (6 sc)

Stuff the head lightly with a small amount of fiberfill. Do not close the opening; flatten the neck opening and proceed to the neck base.

Neck Base

Row 1: With the flattened neck opening facing you, work 6 sc evenly across the flattened edge, turn. (6 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each st across, turn. (6 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog, turn. (4 sc)

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30 cm) tail for attaching. (4 sc)

Ears (make 2)

Round 1: With ochre, make a magic ring, work 4 sc into the ring. (4 sc)

Round 2: [Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] around. (6 sc)

Round 3: Sc in each st around. (6 sc)

Round 4: [Sc in next st, sc2tog] around. (4 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail. Flatten each ear into a small leaf shape.

Antlers (make 2)

With ochre, ch 9.

Row 1: Slip stitch in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (8 sl sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail. Make a second antler the same way. For a branched look, work a second short ch-5 strip the same way and stitch it to the main antler at an angle before attaching.

Assembly of Appliqué

Pin the stag head centered on the front of the pillow, with the neck base about 2 in (5 cm) above the bottom border. Using the yarn needle and ochre tail, stitch the appliqué to the pillow with small, even whipstitches around the outer edge, keeping the stitches hidden in the ochre yarn. Attach the ears on either side of the upper head, angling them slightly outward. Attach the antlers above and behind the ears, angling them upward and outward. Weave in all ends.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: Thread the long tail onto your yarn needle. Hold the two panels with right sides together and edges matched. Working from the bottom corner upward, bring the needle through both layers about 1/4 inch from the edge, then back through the opposite direction, making small, even stitches. Pull gently every few stitches so the seam lies flat — snug, not puckered. Work one side, then the bottom, then the second side, always leaving the top open.

Turning and stuffing: Reach through the open top and pull the pillow right side out, poking the corners gently with your finger or a blunt pencil. Insert the pillow insert or add fiberfill in small handfuls, pushing it into the corners first and working toward the center until the pillow is gently firm.

Closing the top: Fold the top edges together, lining up the seam lines, and whipstitch closed the same way you seamed the sides.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the yarn needle and run it through the back of several stitches in one direction, then back through a few more in the other direction. Trim close to the fabric. Never knot your ends — knots work loose and create bumps.

Blocking: Lightly steam-block the border and appliqué edges with a pressing cloth to settle the stitches. Hold the iron an inch above the fabric and let the steam do the work. Do not press the single-crochet fabric flat — a hot iron will crush the texture permanently.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the olive for charcoal gray or cream, and the ochre stag for rust or deep brown, for a completely different mood. Any two worsted weight colors that contrast will work.
• Resize the pillow: The panel is a multiple of 48 stitches wide. To make a smaller 12 x 12 pillow, chain 37 instead of 49 and work rows until the panel measures 12 in tall; to make a larger 16 x 16 pillow, chain 49 and work until the panel measures 16 in tall. Adjust your insert to match.
• Substitute the yarn: Cotton or cotton-blend worsted yarn gives a crisper, more matte look and holds its shape well; just check your gauge again, because cotton behaves differently from acrylic.
• Make it a set: Work a second pillow in reverse colors — ochre body with an olive stag — for a matching pair on a sofa or bench.