117 — Antique Blue ultra
Blues family
Below: Valdani 117 (Antique Blue ultra), a light, moderately saturated blue shade with hex #B1C6D7 and RGB 177, 198, 215. Find its closest Madeira, J&P Coates, and Sullivans matches ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 similar Valdani shades and a full set of color harmony picks.
Brand Equivalents for Valdani 117
Top 5 closest matches in each brand, ranked by visual color similarity. How matching works
DMC
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Crescent Colours
Similar Valdani Colors to 117
Closest Valdani threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with Valdani 117
It reads best on black or dark fabric and can wash out on white, so reach for a dark or mid-tone ground.
Valdani is hand-dyed, so Valdani 117 (Antique Blue ultra) carries subtle tonal shifts skein to skein. Buy enough for a project in one dye lot, and stitch in a random or cross-country order to blend any variation.
Color Harmonies for Valdani 117
Valdani threads that pair well with 117, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Blues Family
Valdani 117 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.
About Valdani 117
A light, moderately saturated entry in the blues family, Valdani 117 carries the name Antique Blue ultra with sky 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 Valdani 117?
Valdani 117 is called Antique Blue ultra. It's a light blue shade (hex #B1C6D7, RGB 177, 198, 215) in the blues family, commonly used for winter scenes, forget-me-nots, and similar motifs.
What's the closest DMC match for Valdani 117?
The closest DMC match for Valdani 117 (Antique Blue ultra) is DMC 3753 (Antique Blue ultra very light) with a 100% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 3841 (Baby Blue pale, 81%) and DMC 775 (Baby Blue very light, 80%).
What's a good substitute for Valdani 117?
The closest Valdani threads to 117 are M42 Delft Blue (ΔE 3.62), O117 Baby Blue very light (ΔE 4.06), and 253 Pewter very light (ΔE 7.64). These are useful substitutes when 117 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use Valdani 117?
Cross-stitchers pull Valdani 117 (Antique Blue ultra) 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.
Does Valdani 117 (Antique Blue ultra) vary between dye lots?
Yes, mildly. Hand-dyed threads like 117 are never perfectly flat, and later dye lots can read differently. Reserve one lot per project and avoid stitching in strict rows to keep the mottling even.