M81 — Backyard Honeycomb
Oranges family#BD9A50
Looking up Valdani M81? It's Backyard Honeycomb, a medium orange shade (#BD9A50 / RGB 189, 154, 80). Scroll down for Crescent Colors, DMC, and Anchor equivalents ranked by visual similarity, plus 8 close Valdani alternatives and curated color harmonies.
Brand Equivalents for Valdani M81
The five closest matches in each brand, ranked by CIEDE2000 perceptual color difference.
DMC
Anchor
Madeira
J&P Coates
Sullivans
Classic Colorworks
Weeks Dye Works
Gentle Art Sampler
Crescent Colors
Similar Valdani Colors to M81
Closest Valdani threads by perceptual color distance, sorted from most to least similar.
Working with Valdani M81
It has moderate contrast on both light and dark fabric — usable on either, but test a few stitches on your chosen ground first.
For skin, hands, and faces, Valdani M81 (Backyard Honeycomb) is a plausible mid-value — pair it with a highlight and a shadow tone from the same family for believable modeling.
Valdani is hand-dyed, so Valdani M81 (Backyard Honeycomb) 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 M81
Valdani threads that pair well with M81, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.
Oranges Family
ValdaniM81 in context with nearby shades from the oranges color family.
About Valdani M81
Backyard Honeycomb (catalog code Valdani M81) is a medium, moderately saturated shade from the oranges family with golden orange tones. Expect a balanced and warm look that suits citrus motifs, fox designs, and similar motifs. Cross stitch enthusiasts often reach for this thread when stitching fall harvest scenes or monarch butterflies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color is Valdani M81?
Valdani M81 is called Backyard Honeycomb. It's a medium orange shade (hex #BD9A50, RGB 189, 154, 80) in the oranges family, commonly used for warm accents, seasonal designs, and similar motifs.
What's the closest DMC match for Valdani M81?
The closest DMC match for Valdani M81 (Backyard Honeycomb) is DMC 834 (Golden Olive very light) with a 82% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 19 (Medium Light Autumn Gold, 79%) and DMC 833 (Golden Olive light, 79%).
What's a good substitute for Valdani M81?
The closest Valdani threads to M81 are 152 Gold (ΔE 6.04), 149 Luminous Beige Dark (ΔE 6.49), and M28 Harvest (ΔE 6.58). These are useful substitutes when M81 is unavailable or for building gradients.
What projects use Valdani M81?
Cross-stitchers pull Valdani M81 (Backyard Honeycomb) for charts featuring warm accents, seasonal designs, pumpkins, marigolds. The medium tone reads cleanly on its own and slots into multi-color palettes — see the color harmonies below for pairing ideas.
Does Valdani M81 (Backyard Honeycomb) vary between dye lots?
Some. As a hand-dyed floss, M81 shifts subtly skein to skein — that gentle variegation is the appeal. Buy enough for a project in one dye lot and stitch in a random order to blend any variation.