Felting 3D Curves

Step 1: Shape first (before you add details)

In this episode, I focus on felting 3D cures by getting the fin shape “just right” before I add any stripes or lines. Here’s why: when the silhouette changes, your details shift with it. If you add lines too early, you’ll redo them.

My workflow:

• Block in the fin shape.
• Check the angles and corners.
• Exaggerate the curve to get that droop.

If you’re newer to felting, this is also a great mindset shift: treat the silhouette like the foundation of your drawing.

Step 2: Plan for attachment (leave the base less felted)

One of the biggest “small-piece” mistakes is felting everything firm and smooth, then trying to attach it. I do the opposite. I leave the end of the fin less felted so I have extra fibers available to felt into the body later. Think of it like leaving a seam allowance. Those loose fibers become your built-in connector.

Why it matters:

• Stronger join
• Cleaner edge where it meets the body
• Less risk of the fin popping off during handling

Step 3: Add clean line details with minimal fiber

Once the fin shape feels right, I add darker orange lines to capture that “fin lined” look. This is where I keep things tiny and controlled. You don’t need much fiber to get a dark line on a small piece. I twist the fibers in my fingers, lay them down, and felt them in.

How I darken a line without bulk

If part of the line looks lighter, I don’t automatically add more fiber. I pull the same fibers back over the line to redistribute thickness so it doesn’t get thin. That keeps the detail crisp instead of fuzzy.

Step 4: Lift off the base so you don’t get stuck

While I’m working small details, I occasionally lift the fin off the base so it doesn’t felt itself in place.This one step saves a lot of frustration and prevents accidental flattening.

Step 5: Use needle angle to steer curves

Needle angle is everything for line control. In this episode I change the angle of my needle to move lines and details in the direction I’m felting.That’s how I get a subtle curve instead of a stiff stripe. If your lines look wobbly, try this: slow down, adjust your needle angle, and let the fibers settle where you’re guiding them.

Step 6: Remove stray dark fibers early (future-you will thank you)

I’m also watching for stray dark fibers while I work—and I pull them out before they get felted in. Because when I get to the photography stage, those dark fibers jump out immediately. This is one of my “quality standards” habits: fix it while it’s easy.

Step 7: Attach the fin for maximum expression

Once the fin is detailed, I attach it—and the angle matters. I consider how the fin’s angle will carry the line and emphasize the droopy expression, and I remind myself I can always pull it off and adjust if the emotion isn’t landing. After attaching, I felt from the back to strengthen the connection.

Key Takeaways

• Shape first, then detail.
• Leave the attachment edge less felted for a stronger anchor.
• Use minimal fiber for lines and redistribute thickness as needed.
• Lift off the base to prevent sticking.
• Needle angle is how you steer curved details.
• Remove stray dark fibers early for photo-ready work.

Prefer the transcription? Here you go!
February 6, 2026

We’re going to do a bonus video here for members of my community where I will continue to perform the square shaped square angular. So I want the angles to be angular. I don’t want them quite so rounded.

I do want it to be droopy. So I’m exaggerating the shape while also trying to keep my angles more geometrical versus organic. So angular versus rounded while also getting droopy. It’s a bit of a challenge, but we’re up for it.

I’m going to get the shape just right and then I’ll put lines on to capture that fin lined look, which this fish has. And I’m going to leave this end of the fin less felted so that I have more fibers to felt into the body to anchor the fin in place.

Okay, now I’m going to work on that curve a little more. It’s definitely exaggerated. It is not typically this curved. So this is going to come on right here and I’m going to add some darker orange lines before I put that in place.

And I like to tuck in my ends a little bit. So just like I did on the tail fin, I’m just adding these on and having them flow from one end to the other. Sometimes I’ll carry the fibers back over the same line just so that I don’t have to pull them off and to make the line a little darker.

You don’t need a lot of fibers to make a pretty dark line on something small. So I twist it in my fingers. And then if I feel like that section is a little lighter, I just pull the fibers back to pull more into that area so it doesn’t get too thin.

And I’m going to occasionally pull that up off the base so it doesn’t get stuck. And then I will change the angle of my needle, which will move lines and details in the direction that I’m now felting.

So I want to curve these a little bit. So I’m going to change that, which will make it curve around. Occasionally, when I see I’ve got a dark fiber in there, I’ll pull that right out so that I don’t felt it in.

And then when I get to the photography stage of my process, those dark fibers, they jump right out at me. So if I see them as I go, I do my best to pull them out of there. Oh, that’s too much. There we go.

Like right there, there’s a dark fiber. Get that out of there. There we go. Alright, I think I’m going to put one more… Actually, I might leave that light. I’m going to leave that light. So now this is going to come in and attach right here and carry.

I’m going to angle it so that when I attach it, it really brings this line down. Or that if I attach it this way, I’m not really achieving that extra carry of the line for additional emphasis of her kind of loose droopy face.

But if I angle it this way, it brings this line down. So I could always pull this off and change my angle. But for right now, I’m just going to get that in place and then look at it for a while and just make sure that I really like what I’ve got there.

If I felt from the back, too, it will help strengthen that connection. There we go. Now we have our sad fin in place, feeling pretty good about the way this is coming out. Excellent. Voila.

To needle-felt clean fin stripes, I shape the fin first, then add thin lines using a small amount of twisted fiber. If a line looks light, I redistribute fiber over the same path instead of adding bulk. I lift the piece so it does not stick to the base and change needle angle to curve lines intentionally. 

#NeedleFelting #NeedleFelt #FeltingTutorial #FeltingTips #FiberArt #WoolArt #TextileArt #HandmadeArt #CraftTutorial #ArtProcess #WoolPainting #SoftSculpture #MakersOfInstagram #BindingTales #HillaryDow