117 — Blue Violet Very Light
Blues family
Below: Anchor 117 (Blue Violet Very Light), a light, moderately saturated blue shade with hex #B6C3E5 and RGB 182, 195, 229. Find its closest J&P Coates, Sullivans, and Cosmo matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar Anchor shades and a full set of color harmony picks.
Brand Equivalents for Anchor 117
Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works
DMC
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Valdani
Crescent Colours
Similar Anchor Colors to 117
Closest Anchor threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with Anchor 117
It reads best on black or dark fabric and can wash out on white, so reach for a dark or mid-tone ground.
Color Harmonies for Anchor 117
Anchor threads that pair well with 117, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
Anchor 117 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About Anchor 117
A light, moderately saturated entry in the blues family, Anchor 117 carries the name Blue Violet Very Light with true blue tones. The easy and clean character of this shade lends itself well to porcelain patterns and hydrangea blooms. Stitchers frequently choose it for skies and water in their projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is Anchor 117?
Anchor 117 is called Blue Violet Very Light. It's a light blue shade (hex #B6C3E5, RGB 182, 195, 229) in the blues family, commonly used for winter scenes, forget-me-nots, and similar motifs.
What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 117?
The closest DMC match for Anchor 117 (Blue Violet Very Light) is DMC 3747 (Blue Violet very light) with a 88% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 157 (Cornflower Blue very light, 60%) and DMC 159 (Grey Blue light, 59%).
What's a good substitute for Anchor 117?
The closest Anchor threads to 117 are 120 Blue Purple Very Light (ΔE 4.3), 128 Sky Blue Very Light (ΔE 5.04), and 129 Sky Blue Light (ΔE 5.13). These are useful substitutes when 117 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use Anchor 117?
Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 117 (Blue Violet Very Light) for charts featuring winter scenes, forget-me-nots, bluebird motifs, whale designs. The 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 117 (Blue Violet Very Light)?
It reads best on black or dark fabric and can wash out on white, so reach for a dark or mid-tone ground. For reference, 117 has a contrast ratio of about 1.8:1 on white fabric and 11.9:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.