Anchor Stranded Cotton

1038 — Baby Blue Medium

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 1038? This medium-light, moderately saturated blue shade (Baby Blue Medium) is hex #89B0C8, RGB 137, 176, 200. Cross-brand equivalents in Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans are listed below — ranked by perceptual similarity — alongside 8 nearby Anchor shades and color-theory harmony pairings.

Hex
#89B0C8
RGB
137, 176, 200
HSL
203°, 36%, 66%
Lab
69.9, -7.4, -16.5
Lightness
66%
Light
Saturation
36%
Muted
Hue
203°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 1038

Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works

Anchor 1038 Baby Blue Medium

Similar Anchor Colors to 1038

Closest Anchor threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.

Working with Anchor 1038

On white fabric
2.3:1
On dark fabric
9.1:1
Temperature
cool
Closest to
sky blue

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.

Color Harmonies for Anchor 1038

Anchor threads that pair well with 1038, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

Blues Family

Anchor 1038 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

About Anchor 1038

Baby Blue Medium (catalog code Anchor 1038) is a medium-light, moderately saturated shade from the blues family with sky blue tones. With a steady and approachable quality, this thread works beautifully in water and denim textures. You will find this color at home in patterns featuring cool-toned backgrounds and nautical themes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Anchor 1038?

Anchor 1038 is called Baby Blue Medium. It's a medium-light blue shade (hex #89B0C8, RGB 137, 176, 200) in the blues family, commonly used for whale designs, sapphire accents, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 1038?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 1038 (Baby Blue Medium) is DMC 827 (Blue very light) with a 92% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 813 (Blue light, 86%) and DMC 3325 (Baby Blue light, 83%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 1038?

The closest Anchor threads to 1038 are 1096 Blue Grey Light (ΔE 5.35), 160 Baby Blue (ΔE 6.44), and 140 Royal Blue Light (ΔE 6.67). These are useful substitutes when 1038 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 1038?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 1038 (Baby Blue Medium) for charts featuring whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms. The medium-light tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.

What fabric color works best with Anchor 1038 (Baby Blue Medium)?

It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first. For reference, 1038 has a contrast ratio of about 2.3:1 on white fabric and 9.1:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.