DMC Mouliné Spécial

3838 — Lavender Blue dark

Blues family

Below: DMC 3838 (Lavender Blue dark), a medium, moderately saturated blue shade with hex #4A5CA6 and RGB 74, 92, 166. Find its closest Gentle Art Sampler, Valdani, and Crescent Colours matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar DMC shades and a full set of color harmony picks.

Hex
#4A5CA6
RGB
74, 92, 166
HSL
228°, 38%, 47%
Lab
41.0, 15.4, -42.1
Lightness
47%
Medium
Saturation
38%
Muted
Hue
228°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for DMC 3838

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

DMC 3838 Lavender Blue dark

Sullivans

Lavender Blue Dark 45436 94% Good
Cornflower Blue Medium 45204 73% Approx
Delft Blue Dark 45208 71% Approx
Baby Blue Dark 45063 69% Approx
Blue Violet Dark 45373 67% Approx

Crescent Colours

Blue Beatrice 132 71% Approx
Vintage Violet 045 53% Fair
Blueberry Tart 033 47% Fair
Deep Blue Sea 065 46% Fair
Pansy Purple 102 39% Fair

Similar DMC Colors to 3838

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

DMC 3838 Lavender Blue dark
Delft Blue dark DMC 798 Very close ΔE 3.29 Cornflower Blue medium DMC 793 Very close ΔE 4.25 Cornflower Blue DMC 3807 Very close ΔE 4.29 Baby Blue dark DMC 322 Close ΔE 5.49 Grey Blue DMC 161 Noticeable ΔE 6.04 Blueberry DMC 31 Noticeable ΔE 6.84 Lavender Blue medium DMC 3839 Noticeable ΔE 7.03 Blue Violet dark DMC 3746 Noticeable ΔE 7.9

Working with DMC 3838

On white fabric
6.2:1
On dark fabric
3.4:1
Temperature
cool
Closest to
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 DMC 3838

DMC threads that pair well with 3838, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
3838
580 Moss Green dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
3838
33 Fuchsia 3760 Wedgewood (806)
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
3838
301 Mahogany medium 909 Emerald Green very dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
3838
797 Royal Blue 3840 Lavender Blue light 3747 Blue Violet very light

Blues Family

DMC 3838 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

3838 Lavender Blue dark 3838 3839 Lavender Blue medium 3839 799 Delft Blue medium 799 160 Grey Blue medium 160 31 Blueberry 31 334 Baby Blue medium 334 3746 Blue Violet dark 3746 793 Cornflower Blue medium 793 518 Wedgewood light 518 996 Electric Blue medium 996 798 Delft Blue dark 798

About DMC 3838

Lavender Blue dark (catalog code DMC 3838) is a medium, moderately saturated shade from the blues family with true blue tones. The balanced and warm mood of this color makes it a natural fit for bluebird motifs and whale designs. Expect to see it used in sapphire accents and porcelain patterns across many cross-stitch charts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is DMC 3838?

DMC 3838 is called Lavender Blue dark. It's a medium blue shade (hex #4A5CA6, RGB 74, 92, 166) in the blues family, commonly used for denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, and similar motifs.

What's the closest Anchor match for DMC 3838?

The closest Anchor match for DMC 3838 (Lavender Blue dark) is Anchor 146 (Navy Blue Light) with a 69% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 131 (Sky Blue Medium, 67%) and Anchor 137 (Delft Medium Dark, 67%).

What's a good substitute for DMC 3838?

The closest DMC threads to 3838 are 798 Delft Blue dark (ΔE 3.29), 793 Cornflower Blue medium (ΔE 4.25), and 3807 Cornflower Blue (ΔE 4.29). These are useful substitutes when 3838 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use DMC 3838?

Cross-stitchers pull DMC 3838 (Lavender Blue dark) for charts featuring denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, nautical themes, winter scenes. The medium 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 DMC 3838 (Lavender Blue dark)?

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, 3838 has a contrast ratio of about 6.2:1 on white fabric and 3.4:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.

DMC Color Chart DMC ↔ Anchor Conversion