DMC 817 — Very Dark Coral Red

The community debate over which red to use for outlining runs long and passionate on FlossTube, in SAL group chats, and across decades of needlework forum archives. DMC 310 (Black) is the default choice, but it can flatten designs that need warmth to breathe. DMC 3371 (Black Brown) softens the contrast without adding color. And then there's DMC 817 — Very Dark Coral Red — which solves the problem entirely differently by outlining in a deep, hot red that creates definition without abandoning the color family.

What Makes 817 Different From Other Dark Reds

At hex #BB051F, this is a pure, saturated red without the blue undertones that push colors toward garnet or burgundy. It's coral-leaning — warmer in underlying temperature than DMC 816 (Garnet) or DMC 814 (Dark Garnet) — which means it reads as definitively, unambiguously red rather than as red-purple or red-wine. The "very dark" designation is accurate: this is a deep, commanding color that carries visual weight in any design.

That warmth makes 817 the natural shadow or outline choice for orange-red and true-red color families. If you're stitching a poppy, a tomato, a fire engine, or any design where the reds have warm coral or orange undertones, backstitching or outlining with 817 keeps everything within a consistent color temperature. Switching to a cool dark red or black would introduce a jarring undertone shift at the very edges of each element.

Where This Color Earns Its Keep

Seasonal designs call on 817 constantly. Christmas ornaments, holiday pillows, and winter-themed samplers all need a red that can handle both fill and definition duties. Designers who use 817 as the darkest shade in a red gradient — with DMC 349 (Dark Coral) and DMC 350 (Medium Coral) as mid-tones, and DMC 351 (Coral) as a highlight — get a natural-feeling warmth that reads as organic and floral rather than graphic and flat.

Autumn designs also benefit from 817's warmth. Paired with DMC 920 (Medium Copper) and DMC 433 (Medium Brown), 817 gives fall foliage its deepest, most saturated red tones. Maple leaves rendered in this palette have a genuinely photographic quality that cooler reds can't match.

Some stitchers use 817 as their go-to red for sampler alphabets and borders. The combination of depth and warmth means text stitched in 817 reads crisply at a distance while looking rich and warm up close — a useful property for pieces meant to be read across a room.

Thread Behavior and Technique Notes

Deep saturated reds like 817 can leave a faint color shadow on pale fabric if the thread is handled roughly during stitching — this is more about the dye family than any defect specific to 817, but it's worth knowing. On white or pale fabric, try to avoid dragging the thread across unstitched areas, and keep your hands clean and dry. The railroading technique helps here too: keeping strands parallel and smooth means less friction against the fabric weave.

On 28-count evenweave stitched over-two, 817 has excellent coverage — the saturation means you don't need to compensate for thin-looking stitches by adding an extra strand. On 14-count Aida, two strands give solid, rich coverage. Stitchers working on 18-count with one strand for fine details report that 817 reads well at that scale because its value is deep enough to maintain definition.