DMC Thread

[Tania]

I belong to a FB group called Sampler World and someone posted a comment about DMC thread. Apparently, there is some discussion in EGA groups that DMC thread sold at Michaels and JoAnn's is not "first run" and therefore not as high quality as the DMC you purchase at an LNS. Do you know if this is true or not? Thanks.

[MaryCorbet]

Tricky question, Tania! I actually wrote a much longer response than this is going to be, but I think I went overboard on a subject that is a Pet Peeve of mine, so I thought I'd better start again...

DMC USA as a company is a mystery to me. I've tried to penetrate it - to ask them or their representatives things about their threads, their manufacturing, their distribution, their ownership, etc. - but I have found that they are too big a commercial enterprise for us to receive direct, knowledgeable, clear and certain answers from.

As to your question, I cannot say. I think if you asked the company, they would probably deny that they have different "grades" of floss. If they do have different grades, I think the fact would've been known long before now, as they've been supplying big box stores in America for some 20+ years. On the other hand, maybe there's been a recent shift in manufacturing and distribution, and maybe the results are just now being seen. Who knows? Are the EGA folks to whom you refer speculating, or do they know for certain? Is it just their "impression" that the floss feels, looks, or performs differently if they buy it at a LNS or a big box store? It would certainly be interesting to know.

I do know that I prefer to buy my floss from local needlework shops rather than big box stores, because doing so supports the local needlework shop, which helps the needlework industry as a whole. Most local needlework shops will price their floss competitively, supplying the floss as a service to their customers. Frankly, I don't think there are too many local needlework shops left that make any decent profit on DMC threads, because they have to price their threads so competitively to match the big box stores... a marketing blunder on the part of DMC, to say the least, one that unfortunately took its toll on many needlework shops in the US. But let's not open that can of worms....

I do know that certain DMC threads in the US are imported from France (i.e. floche, coton a broder cutwork threads) and these strike me as higher quality needlework threads. I've also heard that the DMC stranded cotton in France is "nicer" than the DMC stranded cotton in the US. I haven't experienced this latter point myself, as I've not tried DMC stranded cotton from France, so I can't confirm that, either. But I do know that DMC stranded cotton in France is a Whole Lot More Expensive than it is here.

But, what it boils down to as far as your question goes is this: I don't know. But I think it's an interesting question!

MC

[Tania]

Thank you Mary! I can't say if the EGA groups or any of those in the FB group Samplers World know for certain if better quality threads are sold at LNS than at the big box shops. One poster on FB stated that she heard this from a DMC representative. Most have not noticed a difference in the threads they purchased from either store but did note that DMC threads in kits seemed to be of a lower quality. What you've heard about French DMC stranded cotton possibly being of higher quality is perhaps where this "rumor" of higher quality thread comes from. It would be really interesting to get our hands on the DMC stranded cotton sold in France and compare to the DMC stranded cotton sold here and see if there is in fact a difference.

Would it be ok if I put a link of this discussion on the FB page of Samplers World?

Thanks again for your great insights. Tania

[MaryCorbet]

Hi, Tania -

Well, it's an interesting question. They probably don't have different "grades" of floss between store types. I could see there being a difference from country to country, just because manufacturing criteria and so forth can be different from country to country.

Sure, you're welcome to post a link if you like.

MC

[kakkikak]

My stitching group had this conversation just last night. One of our compadres was recently in France and bought several French kits which had the DMC logo on them. At first she thought the difference in thread was just her imagination, but it was not. The French DMC had a higher sheen and was softer to touch. The colors also seemed more vibrant. Also of interest, although all of the French kits had the DMC logo, the chart symbols for the thread only had color names and no coordinating numbers. So either French DMC was supplying a different thread source for the kits or, as we are now beginning to believe, the French are keeping the good stuff to themselves.

K

[Tania]

Thanks for this very interesting insight. Makes me want to hop on a plane and go to France to buy my DMC threads! Also, it is interesting that when asked, DMC denies any difference. HMMMM. I wonder if the owner of The French Needle has any opinions on this. I should send her an email.

[AnneG]

Just a thought. I've noticed that some colors are shinier and have a better twist than others. Just asked a friend who lives in EU to get me some from France of the white I'm using the most. Then, I'll compare and let you know.

[Tania]

That sounds like a great plan. I can't wait to hear the results of your comparison.

[SaftaSue]

I bought some floss this morning for a project (that must be finished for presentation at 10am tomorrow, sigh). And I happened to notice on the DMC label it said:
"For sale only outside the European Union."
So, of course, I tried to find out what this was all about and came across this discussion. Here's hoping there is a resolution that will "allow" us US'ers continued access to excellent quality supplies.

[MaryCorbet]

In fact, my blog post tomorrow is on this whole question....