3840 — Lavender Blue light
Blues family#85A3CE
Below: DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light), a medium-light, moderately saturated blue shade with hex #85A3CE and RGB 133, 163, 206. Find its closest J&P Coates, Sullivans, and Cosmo matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar DMC shades and a full set of color harmony picks.
About DMC 3840
DMC Six-Strand Embroidery Floss (Mouliné Spécial)
- Also sold as
- Linen Flower Blue
- Fiber
- 100% cotton
- Strands
- 6 strands
- Sold as
- 8 m skein
Brand Equivalents for DMC 3840
The five closest matches in each brand, ranked by CIEDE2000 perceptual color difference.
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Valdani
Crescent Colors
Closest match to DMC 3840 in 67 more brands
The single nearest shade in every other palette we hold, from needlepoint silks and wools to fuse beads and yarn. Match quality is perceptual color distance: 93% and up is hard to tell apart, under 75% is a visible shift.
More stranded cotton
Hand-dyed & overdyed
Silk
Wool for needlepoint
Metallic, rayon & specialty
Other threads & beads
Fuse beads
Yarn for crochet & knitting
Need the runners-up, or a whole pattern converted? The thread conversion chart ranks every alternative for DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light) in any brand.
Similar DMC Colors to 3840
Closest DMC threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with DMC 3840
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
DMC 3840 in other DMC lines
DMC reuses base numbers across its specialty lines, so the same shade can exist as a satin, a metallic, or a sparkle floss under a prefixed code. Here is where Lavender Blue light turns up.
DMC 3840 is a Mouliné Spécial-only number: there is no Satin, Light Effects, or Étoile version of this shade. For a sheen or sparkle in the same tone, blend one strand of the nearest metallic with two strands of DMC 3840.
Diamond painting: the same number is sold as a drill — Diamond Dotz D3840, Diamond Drills USA DMC3840. A kit legend or drill bag marked 3840 means this color. See the diamond painting DMC chart for every code with drill availability.
Color Harmonies for DMC 3840
DMC threads that pair well with 3840, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
DMC3840 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About DMC 3840
DMC 3840 is the floss known as Lavender Blue light: a moderately saturated, medium-light member of the blues family with sky blue tones. The balanced and versatile character of this shade lends itself well to whale designs and sapphire accents. Stitchers frequently choose it for porcelain patterns and hydrangea blooms in their projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does DMC 3840 look like?
DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light) is a medium-light shade in the blues family with hex #85A3CE and RGB 133, 163, 206. Stitchers reach for it in projects featuring cool-toned backgrounds and nautical themes.
Which Anchor thread matches DMC 3840?
The closest Anchor match for DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light) is Anchor 145 (Navy Blue Very Light) with a 96% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include Anchor 175 (Cornflower Blue Light, 89%) and Anchor 977 (Blue Medium, 84%).
What DMC colors are similar to 3840?
The closest DMC threads to 3840 are 157 Cornflower Blue very light (ΔE 4.06), 159 Grey Blue light (ΔE 5.12), and 800 Delft Blue pale (ΔE 5.24). These are useful substitutes when 3840 is unavailable or for building gradients.
When should I use DMC 3840?
Reach for DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light) when your project calls for cool-toned backgrounds, nautical themes, winter scenes, forget-me-nots. Its medium-light character carries both small accents and wider palette work; the harmony picks on this page show natural companions to 3840.
What fabric color works best with DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light)?
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, 3840 has a contrast ratio of about 2.6:1 on white fabric and 8.1:1 on black. As a cool shade, its cool cast recedes visually — useful for backgrounds, shadows, water and sky, and calm, restful palettes.
Is there a metallic or satin version of DMC 3840?
No. DMC 3840 (Lavender Blue light) exists only as Mouliné Spécial six-strand cotton — there is no Satin, Light Effects, or Étoile code for it. For a matching shine, blend one strand of the nearest Light Effects color with two strands of the cotton.
What is the diamond painting drill code for DMC 3840?
Diamond Dotz D3840 and Diamond Drills USA DMC3840 carry the same number. Diamond painting adopted DMC's numbering, so a kit legend or drill bag marked 3840 is this color regardless of drill brand — though each manufacturer dyes to the reference in its own batches, so avoid mixing brands inside one large block.
Which other thread brands come closest to DMC 3840?
Outside the main floss brands, the nearest shades we hold are Eterna Silk 2900 Copenhagen Blue Light (95%), Vineyard Silk 086 Regatta (93%), Luca-S 155 (92%). Percentages are perceptual color distance between the two swatches; anything above about 93% is hard to tell apart on fabric.