Colour Lists for Needle Felting Projects
Colour recipe cards
Beagle
Think of a Beagle's coat as three separate jobs, not one blended colour. Off White handles the chest, muzzle, legs and tail tip, Black is your saddle patch across the back, and a mix of Camel and Caramel gives that warm tan on the head, ears and legs. A bit of Amber worked into the join between tan and black stops the line looking too crisp — real Beagles are softer than that. Five shades, and that's your lot.
Border Terrier
Border Terriers are wiry and a bit scruffy, so don't aim for sleek here. Build the body from Mouse Grey and Hint of Brown blended together for that classic grizzle base, then work in Camel, Caramel and Chestnut for the tan patches on the legs, muzzle and eyebrows. Black grounds the muzzle and eye rims, Blush and Taupe soften the pink skin around the nose and ear leather, and a touch of Beige stops the undercoat looking flat. Nine shades in total — more than you'd think for a "plain" little dog.
Boxer
Boxers have that warm fawn (or brindle) coat with a proper black mask, so contrast is everything here. Layer Caramel, Chestnut and Coffee for the main coat — felting a brindle dog? Build the mix up darker around the ears and back for that streaky effect. Black does the mask, ears and eye rims, Dark Grey shades the jowls and chest, and Linen covers the white blaze, chest patch and paws. Finish with a bit of Blush on the nose leather and inner ears.
Cocker Spaniel
Cocker Spaniels are all about those long silky ears and soft waves, and the colouring's usually patchy rather than one flat tone. Lay the white bits in Off White, then build the darker patches from Black and Charcoal 1 for a black-and-white dog, or swap in Walnut if you're doing liver-and-white. Mouse Grey is handy for shading where the patches blend into that wavy coat rather than meeting in a hard line, and Blush finishes the nose and the inside of those ears.
Dachshund
Dachshunds have a short, smooth coat close to a long low body, so keep the shading subtle. A red Dachshund works well in Caramel and Coffee blended together, warmer along the back and lighter underneath. Doing a black-and-tan? Use Black as your base and pick out the eyebrows, muzzle and legs with that same Caramel and Coffee mix. Off White and Linen are handy for any white chest patch, and for stopping such a long body looking like one flat block of colour.
Dalmatian
A Dalmatian's coat is never pure white up close — it reads warmer and slightly creamy, which is why White on its own falls a bit flat. Blend it with Off White and a little Linen for the base coat, then add the spots in solid Black, keeping the edges slightly soft rather than perfectly round the way they sit on the real coat. Blush finishes the nose, ear tips and the pink skin that often shows through around the muzzle.
German Shepherd
The German Shepherd's saddle pattern is really two coats in one — a black blanket over a tan base — and getting that balance right is what makes it read correctly. Blend Caramel and Chestnut for the tan across the face, legs and chest, then lay Black over the back, ears and tail as the saddle, feathering the edge so the two colours meet gradually rather than in a hard line. Light Grey and Beige add subtle shading through the ruff, and Blush finishes the nose and inner ears.
Golden Labrador
A Golden Labrador's coat looks like one flat gold from a distance, but look closely and there's a whole range running from pale cream through to deeper honey. Blend Camel and Caramel as the main body colour, then work in Taupe and Beige for shading along the back, ears and legs where the coat sits thicker. Linen lightens the chest, muzzle and the feathering behind the ears — without it the dog can end up looking like one solid block of colour.
Pug
The Pug's wrinkled face and flat muzzle mean shading is the whole game here — skip it and the face reads flat. Build the fawn coat from Beige, Taupe and Linen blended together, then work Black into the mask, the wrinkles around the eyes and muzzle, and the ears. Dark Grey deepens the shadows inside the wrinkles, and Blush softens the pink skin around the nose and inside the ears.
Husky
Huskies carry a thick double coat in grey, black and white rather than one solid colour, and it's the facial mask that gives them their look. Start with a base of Linen and Beige, then layer Dark Grey and Black over the ears, the top of the head and down the back for that classic mask and saddle. Blush finishes the nose leather — and keep the underside and legs lighter than the back, that contrast is what sells it.
Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkies are born black and tan, and plenty of pet Yorkies are kept clipped in that puppy colouring rather than grown out to the steel-blue adult coat — that's the palette this card follows. Blend Camel, Chestnut and Coffee for the tan sections on the head, legs, chest and base of the tail, then lay Black over the back and top of the head for the darker saddle. Beige and Linen soften the join between the two, especially through that long, silky fringe around the face.
A British Shorthair cat
British Shorthairs are famously blue-grey, but there's more going on than one flat tone. 10 Granite Grey and 11 Silver keep the coolness, 09 Grey and 04 Mouse Grey add depth between them, 08 Black outlines the nose and eyes, and 22 Caramel warms up those big round eyes. Six shades, full stop.
A ginger cat
Ginger cats are rarely just orange once you really look. 01 Off White covers the paws and chest, 22 Caramel and 27 Vanilla give you the classic ginger stripes, 42 Terracotta brings in the deeper patches, and 73 Beige and 82 Linen soften the transitions between them, with 08 Black for the outline. Seven shades in total.
Lion
A lion's coat is a warm tawny gold, not a flat yellow — paler across the belly and muzzle, deepening toward the mane on a male. Build the main body from Caramel, working Coffee into the shading along the back, legs and the base of the mane. Off White lifts the muzzle, chin and inner ears, Dark Bordo gives the mane real depth where it darkens toward the tips, and Black finishes the nose and the ends of the tail tuft. Five shades, and it's all you need.
Tiger
A tiger's stripes sit over a coat that shifts between several shades of orange rather than one uniform colour, brightest across the back and warming toward the flanks. Blend Orange, Tangerine and Dark Orange as the base, keeping Ginger for the softer transitional areas around the shoulders and haunches. Off White and Linen cover the muzzle, chest and belly, and Black forms the stripes themselves — keep them irregular rather than evenly spaced. For extra texture on the ruff around the face, add a touch of Sliver Fox if you have it.
A fox
Foxes read as orange from a distance, but the real mix is warmer and greyer than most people expect. 01 Off White covers the chest and throat, 21 Ginger is your main body colour, and 08 Black handles the nose, eye tips and paws. From there, a run of warm oranges (32 Orange, 34 Tangerine, 35 Dark Orange, 36 Burnt Orange, 42 Terracotta) gives you the shading between the ginger back and the paler belly, with 82 Linen and 113 Amber to round it off. Ten shades in total, straight off our own colour list.
Wolf
A wolf's coat is built from layers of grey, not the flat grey people often reach for first — it runs from near-white right through to charcoal on a single animal. Blend Off White, Vanilla and Light Grey for the paler underside and face, then work Mouse Grey and Dark Grey through the back and tail for the darker guard hairs. Caramel and Walnut bring in the warmer tones around the ears, legs and flanks, and Black along the spine and guard hair tips finishes it off with real depth.
Giraffe
A giraffe's patches sit on a pale cream background rather than white, so start the base coat in Vanilla and Off White before you touch the patches. Layer Caramel and Chestnut together for the patches themselves, keeping the edges soft and irregular rather than sharply outlined, and use Black sparingly for the mane, the tips of the ossicones and the muzzle.
Kangaroo
Kangaroos have a short, dense coat in warm greys and browns rather than one flat tone — paler across the chest and throat, deepening along the back and tail. Blend Camel, Caramel and Chestnut for the main body, working in Walnut for the darker shading down the spine and around those strong hind legs. Vanilla and Off White lighten the chest, muzzle and inner ears, and Black finishes the nose, claws and tail tip.
A hare
Hares are as much about texture as colour — a blend of grey and brown rather than one flat shade. Our own colour list doesn't pin this one to a fixed recipe; it just says to pick whatever resembles the hare in front of you. So here's the full bank to choose from: six greys, ten browns, and fifteen Māori shades for warmth and the pale ear linings.
Butterfly
Butterfly wings work brilliantly as a felted subject because real markings are bold and graphic, not blended — so keep your colour blocks clean rather than shading them together. Sunflower and Caramel make a bright base for a lot of common wing patterns, with Burnt Orange, Brick and Terracotta layered in for the deeper patches and vein lines. Black outlines and separates the blocks the way real markings do, Off White lifts any pale spots or wing edges, and Cornflower is your go-to for the blue markings you see on species like the peacock or red admiral.
A kingfisher
Kingfishers are one of the few birds where the blues do the real work, not the browns. The back and wings run through 63 Peacock, 89 Royal, 90 Cornflower, 98 Bright Turquoise and 118 Aqua, with 34 Tangerine and 35 Dark Orange for that warm underside, 08 Black for the beak and eye stripe, and 82 Linen to soften the throat patch.
Peacock
A peacock's plumage sits in a narrower band of blues and greens than photos often suggest — the iridescence comes from how the colours sit next to each other, not from any one shade alone. Blend Peacock and Royal for the neck and breast, working in Bleu de France and Aqua for the lighter highlights. The famous eye feathers need Pear Green and Fern for the surrounding fronds, Black at the centre of each eye, and Off White for the fine detailing around it.
A robin
A robin lives or dies on the breast — go too orange and it stops looking like a robin. 21 Ginger and 22 Caramel sit much closer to the real colour than a pure red, with 35 Dark Orange for depth where the breast meets the wing, and 103 Mottled Brown and 113 Amber for the wing feathers. 04 Mouse Grey covers the head and back. On the Māori side, Nut, Beaver and Cinnamon bring the warm brown variation real robin feathers have, and Cloud and Nat. White handle the belly. Six NZ shades, five Māori — eleven in all.
Pumpkins
Pumpkins and squashes cover a much wider range of oranges than most people reach for — from the pale, almost golden skin of a butternut to the deep burnt tone of a full-grown pumpkin. Blend Marigold, Curry and Sunflower for the paler varieties, moving through Ginger, Orange and Tangerine for the mid-tones, and finishing with Dark Orange and Burnt Orange for the deepest ribs and shadows. Māori Pumpkin is worth reaching for on its own too — its bright, earthy depth is close to the real thing straight off the vine. Vanilla softens any pale patches near the stem, and Bottle Green finishes the stalk.
Gingerbread Man
A gingerbread biscuit is warmer and more golden than plain brown — spiced dough bakes to somewhere between honey and toffee. Blend Camel, Ginger and Caramel for the main body, adding Amber for the deeper edges where a biscuit's browned a bit more in the oven. Māori Bread gives you a lovely light golden base if you'd rather build from a single wool, Māori Cinnamon adds that foxy, spiced warmth through the shading, and a touch of Māori Pumpkin deepens the colour further at the edges.