Here's how you do it. I've been meaning to write this tutorial up.
Get Mini vMac. Take the 1.4MB 7.1 disk images you have and install them onto a blank 800K disk image for transfer to the Plus. If you want to run this from a hard drive connected to the Plus, use a large blank disk image and install the full system in Mini vMac. Then break it down into parts for transfer onto blank 800K disk images and re-assemble on the Plus HD.
NOTE: you take existing Disk Copy 4.2 images, copy them and the format them in Mini vMac to create blanks.
UPDATE: I think you can also use Disk Copy 4.2 within Mini vMac as well, to make your disk images using blanks. I know I've done it on SheepShaver, but I'll have to try it again with MvM.