Valdani Perle Cotton

87 — Cornflower Blue very dark

Blues family

Looking up Valdani 87? It's Cornflower Blue very dark, a medium-dark blue shade (#2E2960 / RGB 46, 41, 96). Scroll down for Sullivans, Cosmo, and Classic Colorworks equivalents ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 close Valdani alternatives and curated color harmonies.

Hex

#2E2960

RGB

46, 41, 96

HSL

245°, 40%, 27%

Lab

20.1, 18.8, -32.1

Lightness

27%

Dark

Saturation

40%

Muted

Hue

245°

Family

Blues

Brand Equivalents for Valdani 87

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

Valdani 87 Cornflower Blue very dark

Sullivans

Cornflower Blue Medium Dark 45473 83% Good

Navy Blue 45069 73% Approx

Cornflower Blue Very Dark 45202 72% Approx

Royal Blue 45207 72% Approx

Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 45494 71% Approx

Cosmo

218 86% Good 4792 82% Good 667A 82% Good 168 81% Good 557 78% Approx

Classic Colorworks

Pansy Purple 88% Good Mermaid's Fin 44% Fair Nighty Nite 42% Fair Ora's Iris 40% Fair Wavy Navy 37% Fair

Weeks Dye Works

Deep Sea 2104 62% Fair Navy 1306 61% Fair Blue Aster (obsolete 2306 59% Fair Americana 1307 51% Fair Merlin 1305 51% Fair

Gentle Art Sampler

Dragon Fruit 0895 27% Fair Midnight 0240 11% Fair Loganberry 0892 10% Fair Distressed Denim 0293 9% Fair Cast Iron Skillet 1060 6% Fair

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 63% Fair

Purple Aster 070 36% Fair

Nighty Nite 160 33% Fair

Blooming Crocus 032 32% Fair

Wavy Navy 075 30% Fair

Similar Valdani Colors to 87

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

Valdani 87 Cornflower Blue very dark

Cornflower Blue medium Valdani O86 Near identical ΔE 2.28 Navy Blue medium Valdani O592 Noticeable ΔE 7.44 Royal Blue Valdani 1242 Noticeable ΔE 7.46 Blue Violet very dark Valdani O541 Noticeable ΔE 8.61 Navy Blue dark Valdani 1072 Noticeable ΔE 9.85 Blue very dark Valdani 871 Noticeable ΔE 10.22 Antique Blue very dark Valdani 873 Noticeable ΔE 10.59 Navy Blue light Valdani M5 Noticeable ΔE 10.8

Working with Valdani 87

On white fabric

13.1:1

On dark fabric

1.6:1

Temperature

cool

Closest to

navy

It pops on white and light fabric but nearly disappears on black, so pair it with a light or neutral ground.

Hand-dyed notes

Valdani is hand-dyed, so Valdani 87 (Cornflower Blue very dark) 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.

Blending & gradients

Its nearest neighbor, Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium), is barely a step away (ΔE 2.28). Tweed the two together for subtle shading, or substitute freely when one is out of stock.

Color Harmonies for Valdani 87

Valdani threads that pair well with 87, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary

Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast

O575 Hunter Green dark

Analogous

Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions

82 Violet very dark 105 Wedgewood dark

Triadic

Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced

154 Golden Olive very dark 25 Aquamarine dark

Monochromatic

Same hue, different lightness — great for shading

O562 Blue Violet dark JP10 Blue Violet light 117 Antique Blue ultra

Blues Family

Valdani 87 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

87 Cornflower Blue very dark 87 210 Blue dark 210 O86 Cornflower Blue medium O86 M5 Navy Blue light M5 871 Blue very dark 871 O126 Antique Blue dark O126 105 Wedgewood dark 105 873 Antique Blue very dark 873 O592 Navy Blue medium O592 1072 Navy Blue dark 1072 8112 Navy Blue very dark 8112

About Valdani 87

A medium-dark, moderately saturated entry in the blues family, Valdani 87 carries the name Cornflower Blue very dark with deep blue tones. The shade reads as steady and deep — a go-to choice for nautical themes and winter scenes. It also turns up in patterns built around forget-me-nots and bluebird motifs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What color is Valdani 87?

Valdani 87 is called Cornflower Blue very dark. It's a medium-dark blue shade (hex #2E2960, RGB 46, 41, 96) in the blues family, commonly used for hydrangea blooms, skies, and similar motifs.

What's the closest DMC match for Valdani 87?

The closest DMC match for Valdani 87 (Cornflower Blue very dark) is DMC 791 (Cornflower Blue very dark) with a 100% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 158 (Cornflower Blue medium, 89%) and DMC 820 (Royal Blue very dark, 81%).

What's a good substitute for Valdani 87?

The closest Valdani threads to 87 are O86 Cornflower Blue medium (ΔE 2.28), O592 Navy Blue medium (ΔE 7.44), and 1242 Royal Blue (ΔE 7.46). These are useful substitutes when 87 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What projects use Valdani 87?

Cross-stitchers pull Valdani 87 (Cornflower Blue very dark) for charts featuring hydrangea blooms, skies, water, denim textures. The medium-dark tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.

Does Valdani 87 (Cornflower Blue very dark) vary between dye lots?

Yes, mildly. Hand-dyed threads like 87 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.

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