Anchor floss

I have no idea what the answer is. I know that at one point an on-line store in the UK bought DMC thread in bulk, and hand wound bobbins with 8 meters of thread, which they could sell a little cheaper. Of course, DMC and Anchor thread is MUCH more expensive in Europe compared with North America.

I can't say about pre-wound, as I've never seen that. But, I much prefer the Anchor floss to the DMC. Seems to kink less, has a bit more sheen, IMO, and they definitely have more shades within color families - if you're doing work that requires a lot of detailed shading graduation.

Ellice

Maureen swears by Anchor and would not touch DMC with a proverbial barge-pole!

To the best of my knowledge, the only difference is yardage. IIRC, the bobbin is 6 yd and the skein is 8 yd.

Last summer I was in a Walmart, in Maryland I think, that had started to carry Anchor., since DMC had been discontinued by the Company. They were on bobbins, not very many colors I remember, but I have never seen it since.

Gillian

It's interesting that you mention the variety of shades, Ellice. I get one of the British cross stitch magazines, and I can tell which designs use Anchor versus DMC just by how they look on the cover. Some of the Anchor shades seem to be richer, somehow.

Louisa

Wal-Mart here in Canada has always carried Anchor and it's always been the pre-wound floss, and not necessarily very much available. I don't tend to shop at Wal-Mart much, but it seems to me that the craft sections are steadily shrinking here, too.

Louisa

Louisa

LOL - every time I stitch something with DMC I'm reminded. Having recently done a piece for an "intro to linen" class and wanting to kit it exactly as the designer - with DMC - my feelings were reinforced. I occasionally think that it's in my head, just some unfounded bias - but after doing this piece, I felt better - that it was actually a difference I could feel/see. Oh, well. OTOH, I find myself using silk more and more.

Ellice

Louisa

I used to carry both when I had my store - there was resistance to Anchor at first. (I have to admit I have never seen the bobbin wound - only skein.) Once a customer used Anchor they usually stayed with it - especially for the darker colors which seem to undergo more processing and thin out for DMC - so there was better coverage with Anchor AND - tah dah - I have never (knock on wood) had trouble with bleeding. It's just hard to find - so I usually get mine from Nordic Needle. Sometimes the color range is not complete in Anchor/DMC so some designers find the "missing" piece in the alternate line - it makes for interesting stitching and a direct comparison of the floss. Whatever you decide - just enjoy it.

Happy stitching Kathie in VA

I've told this before, but.... The LNS I used in Albuquerque in the 90s had the Anchor and DMC cabinets next to each other. On top was a display of 2 identical pieces, IIRC a Koala bear on a limb, stitched completely in either Anchor or DMC. That way the customers could make their choice. I could see that the Anchor had more sheen. Since then, I've found that in some instances they just have more graduation or shades in some color families.

Anyhow - that shop - don't think she's there anymore - but was an interesting place. And I've never forgotten how truly you could see a difference in that pair of bears.

Ellice

I've noticed that some of the darker DMC colours have thinner strands than others. I heard somewhere - can't remember where - that Anchor uses a different method for processing their cotton. I wonder if that's what causes the thinning.

Louisa