DMC 163 — Medium Celadon Green

Celadon: When Pottery Inspires Thread

Celadon isn't just a color — it's a 2,000-year-old ceramic tradition. The celadon glazes developed during China's Song Dynasty produced a jade-like surface that ranged from pale grey-green to this deeper, more saturated blue-green that DMC 163 captures. These weren't accidental colors; potters spent generations perfecting the iron-oxide glazes and reduction firing techniques that produced exactly this hue. When you thread your needle with 163, you're working with a color that people have considered worth pursuing for millennia.

DMC 163, Medium Celadon Green, occupies the middle ground in the celadon family — darker and more assertive than the whisper-light celadons (DMC 3817, DMC 3813) but not as deep or shadowy as DMC 3815 (Dark Celadon Green). It's the workhorse value, the one that carries the most visual weight in celadon-themed designs. If a pattern calls for celadon and only gives you one shade to work with, this is usually the one that makes sense.

The blue-green balance in 163 is genuinely interesting from a color theory perspective. It sits right at the point where green starts to pull toward blue, but hasn't committed to either. In warm light — candlelight, incandescent, golden-hour sun — it reads greener. Under cool fluorescent or blue-white LED light, it shifts perceptibly toward teal. This chameleonic quality means your stitching will look subtly different depending on where and when it's viewed, which can be either a feature or an annoyance depending on your temperament.

Stitching with Jade Tones: Practical Considerations

On white Aida, 163 reads as distinctly cool and sophisticated — it has enough saturation to hold its own without feeling overwhelming. On cream or ivory fabric, the warmth of the base rounds out the thread's cooler edges, producing something closer to true jade. On black Aida, 163 practically glows, making it an excellent choice for dramatic East Asian-inspired motifs where you want that celadon luminosity against a dark ground.

Coverage with 163 is reliable. Two strands on 14-count give you clean, full crosses. On 18-count, you can get away with two strands if you railroad consistently, but some stitchers prefer the slightly lighter coverage of two strands without railroading — the fabric peeking through adds to the jade-like translucency. Over one on higher-count linens, a single strand of 163 produces exquisite detail work for small motifs: miniature bonsai trees, tiny koi fish, delicate bamboo stalks.

This is one of those colors that rewards careful companion selection. Pair it with DMC 3816 (Celadon Green) for a one-step-lighter harmony, or step further into contrast with DMC 3814 (Aquamarine) for a brighter, more tropical counterpoint. For designs inspired by Chinese ceramics or Japanese gardens, combine 163 with DMC 758 (Very Light Terra Cotta) and DMC 3033 (Very Light Mocha Brown) — the warm terracotta-and-cream against cool celadon creates the exact palette you see in museum-quality Asian pottery displays. For a richer, more autumnal take, add DMC 3787 (Dark Brown Grey) for deep shadows and let the celadon serve as the jewel tone in an otherwise muted composition.