What is the difference between anchor and dmc threads

I have always used Anchor as my grandmother worked in a fabric store for years and told me that the reps always said it was the best! I agree with Lindsay though that the colour range seems to have colours that almost look worn in without looking worn out.

I have always loved it and unless something drastic happens will always use it. It also connects me to my grandmother in a strange way I'm in germany and all I can find locally is Anchor. But I love their colors, there's loads that go from bright to muted in 5 or 6 shades. I separate all my floss, I don't think I've stitched with all 6 strands in years, and it separates nicely when you keep some tension on it.

I think I'd like to try the DMC floss, but I don't think it's as available in germany as it is elsewhere. I usually just grab whatever's available which is usually DMC. However, I've branched out and tried using some fancy metallic threads and those will give you a headache for sure!

They sure look pretty though! DMC is what both of my grandmothers used, so naturally it's what I use. But I also use my Grandmother's thimble and my Great-Grandmother's wooden quilting hoop, so I may just be partial to tradition. In any case, DMC is the easiest to find.

The gold-standard of floss, in my opinion. I'm sure there are other lovely brands out there, but I'm a stick-with-what-you-know kind of girl when it comes to materials. Here in Spain nearly every shop have Anchor and DMC floss, so it depends on my particular project that I choose one or another. For me their quality is identical, they don't bleed nor fray, and I can separate the strands nicely and easily. I've been working with Gentle Arts threads and Cosmo Lecien threads lately.

Love the silkiness of them. My fall-back, however, is always DMC. It's time for my 2 cents! Most of my floss is DMC as it is widely available and the quality is good.

I also have quite a few Anchor colours and, like Lindsay, I like the fact that their colours are 'slightly off', indeed like mixed paint colours. The worst experience I had with floss was some fake DMC yes, it exists!

The quality was terrible and the colour bled. I would love to try the Cosmo floss but haven't been able to buy it yet! Grannysue I have a DMC floss colour chart at home with the actual flosses on them. DMC is definitely my preferred, I bought a cheap multi-pack and found the floss to be much scratchier and more prone to tangling. Less shine as well.

May 6, Let's talk about floss! They have an easily found website where you can look at their environmental safety procedures, board information, safety measures, new upcoming environmental projects, financial information, and new products coming out to either order or look at. The second company, the Anchor product line, is a division of Coats and Clarks.

This company began in -- producing a year history of expertise and quality. During that year, Napoleon blockaded Great Britain, which prevented silk from being brought into the country from abroad; during this same time, the Clark family had a business that sold silk threads for the warp on the looms. As a reult of Napoleon's blockade, Patrick Clark developed a method "of twisting cotton yarns together" producing a strong and smooth thread that replaced both silk in the looms, and linen and silk threads used in hand sewing.

In , the Clark family opened the first factory for making cotton-sewing thread in Paisley, Scotland. A few years later, James Coats opened another cotton thread mill. His sons, James and Peter, purchased their father's mill in , expanding it in the next ten years by exporting to America. Andrew Coats, another family member, was sent to the United States to manage the business.

Thread at this time was made of three cords, and almost always used for hand sewing; it had a glazed finish, was wiry, and uneven. When Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in , this thread was unsuitable because of these self-same qualities. It wasn't until twenty years later than George Clark developed a six-cord, soft finished thread known as "Our New Thread," which made it the first thread suitable for machine use.

This invention revolutionized the sewing industry, originating the still famous trademark for the Clark Thread Company, the O. Over the years, the Clarks family produced many new products, which included threads for crocheting, darning, knitting, and embroidery cottons. The O. I just don't understand why there would be this particular problem between the thread brands.

Not disputing your findings, just wondering why that might be so? One of the things you didn't mention was coverage. Did you notice a difference? Because personal bias not saying you consciously have any - and indeed, you seemed to start this project with no pre-conceived notions plays a role in outcomes of these type of experiments, it's hard to know for sure whether you changed stitching habits during the process. That is easily resolved by being handed threads and not knowing which you are using.

You stitched an actual project and used the suggested colors. Interesting that the blending of colors was better in the DMC line. I hadn't noticed anyone mentioning that in the past. Of course, I could have just forgotten, too. Thanks for sharing. An interesting read. I'm gonna keep these thoughts in my mental file drawer. Count me out on this one.

It happens to me all the time, and I have only a vague idea why. Obviously one thread takes a longer course than the other. The gods do not subtract from the allotted span of one's life, any time that is spent in stitching. In my limited experience I've never used Anchor , I've found that sometimes there's a huge difference at the end, sometimes they end up the same length--and that's using floss from the same skein!

Have never figured that one out. And Dianne wrote:. Thanks for that info. I'll try it out, anything to stop having the rats nest happen as I pull out the floss. Debra in VA. I don't seem to notice a difference.

I can send scans to anyone who is interested in seeing both finished products. I found that the DMC seemed more resistant to coming through the fabric, like there was more drag as you said above. DMC feels a bit coarser to my touch than the Anchor did and I wonder if it has anything to do with how the threads are finished.

I don't know anything about how they are manufactured, but did notice that each of the Anchor cards said the threads are double mercerized; I don't know how many times DMC is mercerized during manufacture. Maybe that is a factor? I think that as the DMC feels a tad more coarse, that it catches on itself and the fabric as its stitched. The Anchor laid down almost effortlessly and drew through the fabric nice and slick.

I only noticed a difference with DMC which seemed a bit plumper thread than its Anchor counterpart and covered the stitch ground a bit more. Otherwise, I saw no difference. I stitched both projects in matching hoops, 2 strands, English cross stitch ie complete one stitch at a time.

I don't use a laying tool though I do lay the thread for my top stitch across the stitching area in the direction of the stitch ie bottom right corner to upper left , then railroad it as I draw the floss through the fabric.

This is my usual way of stitching anyway and so I used it on both projects uniformly. I merely relied on the conversion chart I chose to find a comparable color in the Anchor line as the chart called for DMC. Ooooh, I am so jealous! Bet you had a great time in the class.