Valdani Perle Cotton

O86 — Cornflower Blue medium

Blues family

Below: Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium), a medium-dark, moderately saturated blue shade with hex #303065 and RGB 48, 48, 101. 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.

Hex
#303065
RGB
48, 48, 101
HSL
240°, 36%, 29%
Lab
22.6, 16.2, -31.4
Lightness
29%
Dark
Saturation
36%
Muted
Hue
240°
Family
Blues

Brand Equivalents for Valdani O86

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

Valdani O86 Cornflower Blue medium

Sullivans

Cornflower Blue Medium Dark 45473 79% Approx
Royal Blue 45207 73% Approx
Blue Very Dark 45225 73% Approx
Baby Blue Ultra Very Dark 45494 72% Approx
Navy Blue Light 45055 72% Approx

Crescent Colours

Granny Annie 083 70% Approx
Blooming Crocus 032 40% Fair
Purple Aster 070 36% Fair
Nighty Nite 160 35% Fair
Blue Moon 005 32% Fair

Similar Valdani Colors to O86

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

Valdani O86 Cornflower Blue medium
Cornflower Blue very dark Valdani 87 Near identical ΔE 2.28 Royal Blue Valdani 1242 Noticeable ΔE 5.66 Navy Blue medium Valdani O592 Noticeable ΔE 6.45 Blue Violet very dark Valdani O541 Noticeable ΔE 8.17 Blue very dark Valdani 871 Noticeable ΔE 8.29 Navy Blue light Valdani M5 Noticeable ΔE 8.75 Antique Blue very dark Valdani 873 Noticeable ΔE 9.55 Navy Blue dark Valdani 1072 Noticeable ΔE 10.04

Working with Valdani O86

On white fabric
12.1:1
On dark fabric
1.7:1
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

Hand-dyed threads like Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium) are never perfectly flat; expect soft variegation. Stock up in a single dye lot up front, since later batches can read noticeably different.

Blending & gradients

Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium) sits a hair from Valdani 87 (Cornflower Blue very dark) (ΔE 2.28) — close enough to blend a strand of each for a smooth gradient or to swap one for the other in a pinch.

Color Harmonies for Valdani O86

Valdani threads that pair well with O86, based on color theory harmony rules in CIELAB color space.

Complementary
Opposite on the color wheel — maximum contrast
O86
O575 Hunter Green dark
Analogous
Adjacent hues — smooth, natural transitions
O86
82 Violet very dark 105 Wedgewood dark
Triadic
Evenly spaced at 120° — vibrant and balanced
O86
H201 Golden Brown dark 25 Aquamarine dark
Monochromatic
Same hue, different lightness — great for shading
O86
120 Cornflower Blue medium JP10 Blue Violet light 117 Antique Blue ultra

Blues Family

Valdani O86 in context with nearby shades from the blues color family.

O86 Cornflower Blue medium O86 122 Grey Blue 122 93 Electric Blue 93 104 Wedgewood dark 104 1242 Royal Blue 1242 210 Blue dark 210 M5 Navy Blue light M5 871 Blue very dark 871 O126 Antique Blue dark O126 87 Cornflower Blue very dark 87 105 Wedgewood dark 105

About Valdani O86

Meet Valdani O86, Cornflower Blue medium — a moderately saturated, medium-dark thread in the blues family with deep blue tones. The rich and grounded character of this shade lends itself well to forget-me-nots and bluebird motifs. Stitchers frequently choose it for whale designs and sapphire accents in their projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Valdani O86 — what color is it?

The color of Valdani O86 is Cornflower Blue medium — a medium-dark blue thread (hex #303065, RGB 48, 48, 101). It shows up most in water and denim textures.

What is the DMC equivalent of Valdani O86?

The closest DMC match for Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium) is DMC 158 (Cornflower Blue medium) with a 100% match based on visual color similarity. Other near matches include DMC 791 (Cornflower Blue very dark, 89%) and DMC 796 (Royal Blue dark, 80%).

Which Valdani threads are close to O86?

The closest Valdani threads to O86 are 87 Cornflower Blue very dark (ΔE 2.28), 1242 Royal Blue (ΔE 5.66), and O592 Navy Blue medium (ΔE 6.45). These are useful substitutes when O86 is unavailable or for building gradients.

What is Valdani O86 good for?

Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium) is commonly used in cross-stitch projects featuring water, denim textures, cool-toned backgrounds, nautical themes. Its medium-dark tone works well for standalone motifs and as part of larger palettes. This page includes color harmonies and similar shades to pair with O86.

Does Valdani O86 (Cornflower Blue medium) vary between dye lots?

Yes, mildly. Hand-dyed threads like O86 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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