Anchor Stranded Cotton

161 — Baby Blue Dark

Blues family

Need details on Anchor 161? This medium, muted blue shade (Baby Blue Dark) is hex #57819C, RGB 87, 129, 156. 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
#57819C
RGB
87, 129, 156
HSL
203°, 28%, 48%
Lab
52.0, -7.1, -19.0
Lightness
48%
Medium
Saturation
28%
Muted
Hue
203°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Anchor 161

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

Anchor 161 Baby Blue Dark

Madeira

Delft Medium 0910 71% Approx
Antique Blue 1003 63% Fair
Misty Green Bright 2506 58% Fair
2408 2408 57% Fair
Wedgewood Medium 1106 52% Fair

J&P Coates

Antique Blue Dark 7052 72% Approx
Sea Blue Medium 7977 63% Fair
Sea Blue Medium Dark 7978 60% Fair
Antique Blue Medium 7051 52% Fair
Cobalt Blue Medium 7022 48% Fair

Sullivans

Wedgewood Light 45115 85% Good
Peacock Blue Dark 45212 69% Approx
Baby Blue Medium 45067 67% Approx
Turquoise Dark 45407 67% Approx
Delft Blue Medium 45209 65% Approx

Cosmo

Cosmo 733 733 81% Good
Cosmo 2253 2253 81% Good
Cosmo 2026 2026 79% Approx
Cosmo 253 253 74% Approx
Cosmo 375 375 67% Approx

Classic Colorworks

Blueberry Tart Blueberry Tart 76% Approx
Cool Azul Cool Azul 64% Fair
Tyler Boy Blue Tyler Boy Blue 60% Fair
Betty Bluebell Betty Bluebell 53% Fair
Rain Shower Rain Shower 43% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Glacial Melt 2112 62% Fair
Blue Jeans 2107 62% Fair
Bluecoat Blue 6550 60% Fair
Blue Suede 2107a 57% Fair
Union Blue 2113 54% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Deep Sea 0930 69% Approx
Tropical Ocean 0920 66% Approx
Presidential Blue 0260 56% Fair
Mediterranean Sea 0950 54% Fair
Blue Jay 0210 47% Fair

Valdani

Electric Blue 93 59% Fair
Turquoise dark O550 56% Fair
Antique Blue medium 126 53% Fair
Cornflower Blue light 100 53% Fair
Steel Grey light O120 44% Fair

Crescent Colours

Tyler Boy Blue 111 93% Good
Caribbean Waters 050 89% Good
Cool Azul 079 51% Fair
Deep Blue Sea 065 45% Fair
Blueberry Tart 033 43% Fair

Similar Anchor Colors to 161

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

Color Harmonies for Anchor 161

Anchor threads that pair well with 161, 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 161 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

About Anchor 161

Baby Blue Dark (catalog code Anchor 161) is a medium, muted shade from the blues family with sky blue tones. With a steady and quiet 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 161?

Anchor 161 is called Baby Blue Dark. It's a medium blue shade (hex #57819C, RGB 87, 129, 156) in the blues family, commonly used for whale designs, sapphire accents, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Anchor 161?

The closest DMC match for Anchor 161 (Baby Blue Dark) is DMC 518 (Wedgewood light) with a 79% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 932 (Antique Blue light, 65%) and DMC 809 (Delft Blue, 65%).

What's a good substitute for Anchor 161?

The closest Anchor threads to 161 are 1039 Baby Blue Medium Dark (ΔE 6.41), 168 Blue Green Medium (ΔE 7.17), and 920 Antique Blue Medium Light (ΔE 9.97). These are useful substitutes when 161 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Anchor 161?

Cross-stitchers pull Anchor 161 (Baby Blue Dark) for charts featuring whale designs, sapphire accents, porcelain patterns, hydrangea blooms. The medium tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.