Hello everyone
Hope this finds you well? I am increasingly concerned as to the availability of different brands of embroidery floss – it is becoming more and more difficult to source, it seems that many of the online shops no longer stock them or in some cases have closed down, is this your experience?
This week I would like to pick your brains and get some feedback on the different brands of embroidery floss – I am referring to the six strand cotton variety such as DMC, Anchor etc which I use for Needlepainting. I am going to list the three main brands that I like to use and ask that you let me know if they are readily available in your part of the world and which ones you like to use.
Please keep in Mind that for Needlepainting we need a large range of colours so I am not referring to any smaller brands that have less then 450 colours in the range.
DMC
I have always used DMC and as far as I know it is the most popular brand worldwide, however, there are some instances where the DMC range falls short and I have to poach colours from other ranges. Generally DMC is easy to find so I do my best to use it wherever possible but Anchor & Cosmo have some beautiful in between shades that are not available in the DMC range. You can never have enough shades for Needlepainting and sometimes that specific colour needed is just not there – we can’t mix shades like we do in art so it has to be found!
ANCHOR
Anchor has certain shades such as greens, golds, violets, mauves in particular that the DMC range don’t have and quite often I need to slot in an Anchor shade or compensate where a DMC shade seems to skip from light to medium with nothing in between. Sadly, Anchor floss is no longer been manufactured in Germany and try as I might I can no longer source it, or get a reply from a distributor that is willing to ship to South Africa, so it seems I will have to discontinue this brand of thread.
COSMO LECIEN
Cosmo Lecien threads made in Japan are relatively new to the embroidery world – I have tested some of the colours and they are sublime! The floss is beautiful and silky and the colours are beautiful. I love that they include every shade in a family and don’t leave any out. I would dearly love to use them in my designs but my search online tells me that they are not easily obtainable. Do any of you use them and if so do you find them easy to source or have any suggestions as to where you can find them?
Till next time, wherever you are in the world keep smiling and happy stitching.
Trish
DMC is so easy to get in Australia, and I had had not problems with Anchor either. Cosmo is fairly expensive compared to the other two and very difficult to obtain locally.
thanks Barbara:)
I live in South Australia and our local quilt shop stocks only Cosmo which as you say Trish is such a beautiful thread. Sorrycouldn’t t find anywhere else to comment. So hard to find DMC or Anchor here.
Marion
Only DMC available in my area – 17362, York Co., PA. USA
In London, UK I can easily source both DMC and Anchor floss, it does look like right now there is one source of the Lecien floss (eternalmaker.com) it looks like the lecien floss is almost twice as much as the others I can buy, but may be okay if its not the main source of floss for the project.
I like the idea of DMC doing a Trish Burr line of floss of the colours you need for these projects!
Thanks I like that idea too – a lot! But don’t think DMC would listen to me:)
In rural areas of Australia DMC is available at most big fabric outlets and I do like the the universality of the thread – your patterns are accessible worldwide due to the fact that the DMC is your thread of choice- I have had no problem sourcing supplies here. Some designers are using a far too wide a range of threads that are hard to source and often expensive for a small amount that is required – I am working on Home Sweet Home at the moment and it’s taking a lots of time to transfer colours / thread weights to readily available and affordable threads
Thanks that is very helpful and don’t worry will always use DMC as staple:)
Hi, Trish! As far as I can tell, Anchor embroidery thread now comes from India. You can find a lot of it for sale on Ebay from Indian sellers. I ordered a set once, and it is the genuine thread. I found the contact information for Anchor (CoatsCrafts) on the web at http://shop.coatscrafts.in/content/5-contact-us. Perhaps they would be interested in talking to you, and hopefully you can find access to the whole range of colors and color samples.
Hi Tana, I think that India produce their own brand of Anchor thread under Coats & Crafts or fall under their umbrella. It has come to light that Anchor is now produced by Mez Crafts in Hungary ( https://anchorcrafts.com/en/hand-embroidery) . It originated in Scotland, then moved to Germany where they merged with Mez Sticktwist. To quote: “Today, the Anchor brand in Europe is manufactured by Mezcrafts in our “original” Nagyatad mill in Hungary ”
They have limited distributors in specific countries, so that is possibly the reason that it is available in some countries only. I have been in touch with them but they put me in touch with a distributor who is not prepared to ship to South Africa – it is a never ending cycle of despair and I am not the only designer struggling with it. Unless something changes I will not be using Anchor in future designs. However, I do still have some stock so you may see it appear every now and then and of course you can always substitute from DMC to Anchor if needed:)
I read on the Anchor website that in Europe their threads are made in Hungary: https://anchorcrafts.com/en/about-us.
Thanks for this article. I have used different brands in one project, I often wondered why a designer would combine floss brands. Now I know… Yes, USA if fortunate for having so many different sources,
Ha Ha Lizzie I guess you thought we were just using them at whim? No the reason I use different brands if purely to fill a colour or shade that is not available in DMC range:)
Hello Trish. I have never tried Cosmos threads but I have seen there selection of colors on Jean Farrish flosstube videos. She is a designer and she is moving towards to their threads and she had shown in one of her episodes the order she had received and I was blown away at the beautiful colors and there choices. I hope this helps. I have everyone of your books and am practicing my stitching and one day I’ll post my work. Stay safe and happy stitching.
Interesting thanks Joanne, I think many of the up and coming new designers are using them:)
I’ve almost exclusively used DMC here in the US, where it is widely available as others have said. Here’s an idea: DMC periodically does those special sets of new colors or limited editions. Maybe you could convince them to issue a special limited edition Trish Burr needlepainting set of DMC floss with the colors you miss! I would definitely buy that!
That would be wonderful but don’t think they will listen to me – could you contact them :)!!!
Actually I think they would listen to you — you are well known in the needlework community, with several successful books that highlight and recommend their product, and lead directly to people buying their floss. I wonder if someone at your publisher’s could make contact with DMC? That business-to-business contact is probably most effective.
Here in the Province of Québec, Canada, we never got problem getting DMC threads, which are much cheaper here than they are in France. Anchor threads are now difficult to find.
I agree with Carrie, I needed a certain black for a blackwork project, DMC.com didn’t have it. So went to Amazon and when it came in. It was from England for that one item. Cosmos I have heard can cost more than the other too,
Best thing I can recommend to all needleworkers is find a shop you like to deal with and contact them when you need something. Not all shops have an online store and if they do, they don’t always list everything they carry. We carry over 140 different threads and not all of them are in our online catalog (there are not enough hours in the day to get everything on my To Do list done :)).
Having at least one go to source that you can e-mail or call can help a lot, especially when you might be looking for something oddball. Establishing a relationship with a LNS can be very helpful.
I owned an LNS for many years. I gave it up for lack of customers (and profit). I now buy, for my own use, from a craft and hobby store, DMC. Every thing else comes from on-line. I buy kits when I can because they are complete. Japan?
Totally understand that one needs to keep huge amount of stock and sure that is why many shops are closing. Kits are perfect in an ideal world:)
Thanks Cathe perhaps you can tell us which shop you are from and provide a link?
Thanks for the offer Trish.
I own a brick and mortar shop – Needle In A Haystack in Alameda, CA (across the bay from San Francisco). The shop will be 23 years old the end of March. We ship around the world and specialize in threads and fabric for needleworkers. The website is http://www.needlestack.com and we do have an online catalog for fabrics, threads, accessories, etc. including the things I make with my lasers (yes, needlework and lasers go together 😄).
I’m also part of a small group of shop owners who have become dear friends and we do our best to support each other. So also check out Acorns and Threads in OR, Attic Needlework in AZ, Stitchville USA in MN and Tradtional Stitches in Calgary (Canada).
And I can’t stress enough how beneficial it can be to any stitcher to have a relationship with a shop, even if you’re not in the same country. Shops like mine or my friends above can offer you help on converting colors, finding substitutes, etc. Even in the age of social distancing were still here to help make your project successful. While not everyone carries embroidery per se, that’s not necessarily a hindrance.
interesting and yes shades of black are a worldwide problem which they would include more of those:) Good that you are prepared to order further afield.
Hi Trish, I appreciate you asking about threads. DMC is not a problem that I ha e encountered. Anchor would be a bit more of a problem since our local shop closed. But I feel strongly that I could order it on line. I recently was introduced to Cosmos thread and loved it. The colors are beautiful and it is soft and silky. I would like to use it more.
I strongly feel that using silk is not necessary to get the shine. I have often been asked if my thread painting is with silk and the answer is no unless it comes in a kit. Silk is so expensive I tend to not use it.
Look forward to seeing your future designs. Thanks for asking, it is nice to know a designer is thinking about the people doing their work.
Anne
Thanks Anne, and yes I am in agreement with you that cotton embroidery thread can do it all. It is practical to stick with one brand, but oh I love those Cosmo colours too!
PS you obviously do beautiful embroidery if you are getting that lovely sheen, well done!
I live in New Zealand and DMC is available but it’s not cheap, anchor is harder to find over here and most things are expensive. I tend to buy threads apart from DMC from 123stitch in the US since they can’t ship DMC outside of US and Canada. But all their other threads they can ship and they work out cheaper than me sourcing them here in New Zealand. They have really cheap international shipping as well and they also sell Cosmo and anchor threads. If you are only just buying off the shelf as a customer and not after a distributor for Cosmo then consider buying from 123stitch.
Hi Matilda a girl after my own heart. I think when you live in places outside of the (main) western world you tend to make a plan and be more accepting of prices? We have always had to source materials outside of the country and pay customs duties on any imports, but we carry on regardless because we love our embroidery:) Thanks for your recommendations.
Commenting from Alberta (western Canada) – of the brands you named I use DMC almost exclusively. I don’t have a problem accessing DMC threads: in the small city where I live and/or online with needlework shops in the province of Alberta.
thanks for letting me know Alice.
Here in Denver area there are 2 specialty needlework shops that carry both DMC and Anchor. My grandmother started me with DMC and that thread was always available, so I have continued with DMC. I do like it better than Anchor. Last year I began your small book project and found that I could not get some of the threads recommended.
The shipping cost for mail orders from these two shops were more expensive than the number of skeins that might have ordered. This week I went to Joann’s, Michaels and Hobby Lobby and could not come close to the threads needed for another project.
To address your question, I find DMC available when threads are in stock. Anchor in my area may only be purchased at the needlework shops. The threads in these shops are usually more expensive than Joann’s, etc. I have never found the Japanese thread in the Denver area.
I was told that DMC had stopped production for awhile…could that be the same issues for all threads and needlework items? Thank you for all that you share. Dawn
Thanks Dawn, its interesting to get your perspective. Like you I started with DMC and in fact was the distributor for many years in Zimbabwe so I tend to favor it. I am sorry that Anchor was so difficult to source, I do try to provide alternatives most of the time but some projects might slip through the cracks:)
You are right DMC France did stop production – twice with each lockdown period. They have only just started to catch up and I received my first shipment since January last year this week. I could tell they were stressed because some of the boxes were wrongly labelled with the wrong number which has never happened before. I am sure it will normalize in time, guess we just have to be patient and keep on stitching:)
I love all three of those brands, especially Cosmo. Right now I’m really into MADEIRA mouline stranded cotton. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Thanks Jessica. Yes Madeira is lovely and readily available. The colours are quite similar to DMC and good quality.
Trish, I too, have used all three of these stranded cottons. In order of best to least favorite is Cosmo, DMC and Anchor. I absolutely love Cosmo but sourcing is difficult, even in the U.S. I find it mostly in quilt shops. Beautiful hand when working with it and the color range is sublime, just hard to find. DMC is next and the most widely available here in the Northwest corner of the U.S. and is a staple for all things embroidery. Anchor has been around for a long time, but is my least favorite. Over the years I have found it less desirable in texture and sometimes even quality, more so than DMC. Anchor here in the Pacific Northwest is usually only found in needlework shops where DMC can also be found in craft-type shops like Joanne’s, Michael’s, as well as needlework stores. If I had a choice of which one to use, it would be Cosmo hands down. It is more expense and difficult to find, that is why I stock up if I find a store that carries it.
Thanks Teresa thats interesting that you enjoy Cosmo. Sad that its hard to find but hopefully if the distributors get motivated we might see it more readily available in the future? Perhaps if it is distributed more widely it might bring the price down a bit!
Hello Trish, I live in Northern Calif. USA. Redding is not a small town, but the only floss I can get here is DMC. No silks, Anchor or any other brand. I rely on the internet for most of what I use. DMC has been stocked ok but last March the price in the US over night went from .60 cents to a dollar. Two months ago it went back down. I have Been buying Anchor brand in lots of 100 to 200 with the price at about thirty cents each. This is on eBay. While I can order all brands of silk, the price is all over the place and still high. I joined our art league last year with plans of doing a show at our large city hall, but Covid shut everything down. After months in deep purple we are finally out of the worst….. We hope. We are slowly coming to life and vaccine is now coming in small lots. Best wishes to you Trish for your books brought me back to the embroidery world. It made staying home much easier.
FYI, DMC hasn’t been.60/skein retail for us for more than 10 years. There are places that sell it for a loss, but at the retail shop level, selling it at .60 would have meant losing a significant amount per skein. The craft stores have always sold DMC at a loss as it’s a way to get people in the door to buy other things. They might have increased their prices to reflect the true cost, but at the LNS level we’ve always done that. Places on eBay sell a lot of things for way less than we do in a retail setting. We have overhead costs that mean we have to sell it to make money on it vs someplace like JoAnn’s that was selling it cheaper to get people in the door or to buy other things. Some LNSs stopped selling DMC years ago because they could not compete on price with the big box stores. Buying from an LNS, even if it’s online, helps keeps us in business if you are able to do that.
That’s very interesting. I have no embroidery shops in my town. There is a large quilting community but they do no embroidery. So the only stores that have DMC and thats the only brand, is Joann, Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Two days ago I picked up some at .56 at Hobby Lobby. Online eBay has it at .99. Now I know why. Even if I want to buy in a large lot, I can not get below .89. I have started using some Anchor and find it as good as DMC. And I buy it in big lots to get the price way below DMC.
Would like to ask everybody if they have tried Tulip needles from Japan. I recently got some through Amazon. Very pricey. About $1.30 each. A lady on Pentrist tried them and loved them. I have found they go through heavy areas like butter.
I’m a beader in my personal life and have used Tulip needles for a few years. We started selling them in 2015 as they are fabulous needles. They made a huge range of needles, beading, tapestry, embroidery, Sashiko, Millners, Chenille and Bullion as well as sewing and machine needles. We sell the most common ones for needlework. Pricey, but a great needle.
Thanks for the info Mary and I am so glad my books have helped during the pandemic. You have all kept me sane and busy too!
Anchor Floss is still made and available in the US. I have confirmed with the main distributor in the US that they are still getting supplies. But it being easily available in the US as you can tell, isn’t indicative of easy availability elsewhere in the world.
Cosmo (Lecien Japan) makes very nice colors and their colors have a deep range within a color, but they don’t have the breadth of color that DMC or Anchor have. Also in the US it’s sold by quilt distributors, not needlework distributors. It is targeted to that audience. Most needlework shops cannot meet the minimums imposed by quilt distributors so it’s rare to find it in a needlework shop in the US. I do buy from a quilt distributor so I can get it, but there isn’t enough of a market for me to inventory it and give up the space from some other needlework thread. The US office for Lecien is 5 miles away from me and they have NEVER contacted me about carrying the thread, even when I reached out them about 6 or 7 years ago. They are really focused on the quilt market here so you would need to look online to purchase it.
Hi Cathe thanks for your comments its good to get the perspective of someone who is in the Needlework business. Interesting that they are targeting the quilting industry. If I had a choice I would continue to use Anchor, there are specific colours that I love, but I have no option – so will stick with DMC and possibly include a few other brands if necessary. DMC is the best, but I wish they had contacted us embroidery designers when they introduced their 35 new shades, there are some shades that are desperately needed in the sludgy green department for example. I find they lack in very light and very dark shades in each family and I have to compensate with other brands.
It is very sad that Cosmo are not marketing their product a bit more efficiently – not right that the distributors are not contacting local needlework shops!!! Especially when you are so close. I also got the feeling that there is a certain lethargy involved – I have pestered Lecien Japan on a number of occasions but not getting the response I want. At present I am importing them from EE Schenk in USA but it was not a simple transaction
As a designer I like to have a choice of colours, but it makes sense to stick with DMC as far as my customers are concerned. I do like to have more options available in my colour range so I can achieve a more realistic effect. As far as most surface embroidery and counted work designs go DMC more then caters for these needs but in Needlepainting you can never have enough colours. If I had my life again and time, I would produce my own range of Needlepainting embroidery threads in custom colours 🙂
Finally on the subject of cheap thread – I find it sad when large companies undercut smaller businesses to make a profit. I try to support local and small business wherever possible – it makes the world a better, less selfish place:) FYI DMC thread is not cheap in our part of the world, it is seen as a high end product that not everyone can afford, but hey I started out using sewing threads because we didnt have DMC threads, so if you really want to stitch you will find a way!
The quilting distributors don’t ever reach out to needlework shops – that’s a whole separate business that has very little overlap with their main customer base. And most quilt distributors have high order minimums and annual order targets to be reached to stay a customer. I was cut off from one main quilt distributor because I hadn’t reached my annual target for a year and they wouldn’t even consider adding me back as a customer. So it’s a whole different wholesale market from needlework.
It’s the US office of the manufacturer (Lecien) that is close to me and they are the ones who are not reaching out to needlework shops or needlework distributors. If the needlework shops can’t easily get it, Cosmo will never become as popular as Anchor or DMC in the needlework side of things. Which is too bad as their depth of color in some of the families is amazing.
Thats so sad that there is competition instead of co-operation between the two! Thank you for flying the flag on behalf of all us embroiderers and for keeping stock of the materials we love.
It’s not really about competition, it’s that the customer base is completely different so there’s no incentive for them to actively reach out to other business types. Just like needlework distributors don’t reach out to fabric stores or quilt shops. There’s so little overlap in the supply chain that it’s not a useful venture for them. I’ve dealt with quilting distributors for 23 years since we’ve always carried embroidery and for many years they were the main place to get some kinds of supplies. But most of my colleagues don’t carry embroidery so they have no real reason to deal with a quilting distributor. I’ve always enjoyed finding things with various types of suppliers so I tend to look farther afield for supplies.
I usually use dmc as I can’t get anchor to the Japanese cotton, so would have great difficulty getting them.
Use DMC and it available online but some are back ordered.
DMC is the one brand that I know I can source either online or in a store near me.
I live in the UK. Most of the shops here have been closed since Christmas so online ordering is becoming the norm. I am fortunate to be able to purchase all threads in most colours. Hobby Craft have a full range of DMC the other two I source from online shops which usually have a despatch time of 2/5 days.
thats good to hear thanks Annette. I was concerned that Cosmo was not available in UK but it seems if you know where to go it is there:)
I use Cosmo I don’t feel it tangles & knots like DMC and others – they have a wide assortment of colors both solid & variegated personally this is my 1st choice. The downside it’s more expensive than DMC
I agree it is lovely to use, sometimes worth spending a bit extra?
Hi Trish, I am fortunate to have a needle shop (mostly cross stitch) near me in Denver, Colorado. She carries every brand of embroidery thread you can think of and then some. I recently purchased Weeks Dye Works embroidery thread for a small cross stitch piece (It is a small company and the threads are hand dyed.), but she also carries Anchor, DMC, and Cosmo. The store is called A Stitching Shop. She is online, but I had some difficulty using her website, and since she is close, I can run into her shop.
It seems we are experiencing a renaissance for people doing needlework. She is very busy, and occasionally is out of a thread I want, but so far I have been pretty fortunate to get what I need.
Quilt shops carry them too. Crabapple Hill Studios carries Cosmo, and they are online. A quilt shop I frequent in Loveland, CO also carries Cosmo so I buy through them as well. They run out frequently, and I do need to wait for threads, but again I have been fortunate and eventually get what I need. I just think we have a lot of users now. The pandemic has allowed people to work from home and they have more time on their hands for being creative. Also, the Babyboomer generation is retiring and we now have more time for creative projects. I am finishing projects I started years ago.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for all that info it is very helpful and good to hear that all brands are available. I agree that the pandemic has caused a shortage not only due to more people stitching (a renaissance which is great) but the manufacturers have slowed down production. It will of course get back on track when Covid passes so sure it is just temporary:)
I live in Kamloops BC Canada and DMC is readily available, I have used and really like Cosmo threads but they are hard to find here. I have found then online usually on US sites.
Yes I think Cosmo is not as easy to find as DMC but think it might be on the up and we will see a lot more of it in the future – lets hope so!
Bonjour de France,
J’ai contacté “mon” fournisseur le plus achalandé dans tout ce qui est broderie…. mais je ne suis qu’amatrice et petite brodeuse 😉 ! par messagerie et leur ai demandé de vous répondre directement sur votre site, concernant les moulinés Anchor. Bien entendu, ils fournissent aussi tout DMC, puisque français.
Mais je ne sais pas s’ils livrent dans votre pays, ou bien s’ils ont des adresses à vous communiquer. J’espère qu’ils vous répondront rapidement.
Son adresse : https://www.universbroderie.com
TRADUCTION Google :
Hello from France,
I contacted ‘my’ busiest supplier in all things embroidery …. but I’m only an amateur and a little embroiderer;)! by messaging and asked them to answer you directly on your site, concerning the Anchor mills. Of course, they also provide all DMC, since French.
But I don’t know if they deliver to your country, or if they have addresses for you. Hope they will get back to you quickly.
His address: https://www.universbroderie.com
Cordialement,
Chantal L.
Thank you so much Chantal and also for translating I appreciate it. We can get DMC here in South Africa they have a distributor but I am concerned that the other brands might not be available in some countries. I know it is available in the USA and Australia but not so much in UK and Europe. If I stitch a design using other threads it is like world war 3 I get emails from people who cannot find those threads! x
DMC is definitely my go to here in Toronto Canada with Anchor as the supplement. I’ve heard of Cosmo before but can’t find it readily available here and it is more expensive than the other two. I did find one Canadian online site but in poking around a lot of the colours seem to be sold out. Unfortunately Cosmo hasn’t made it to the ‘big times’ yet. Are your supply problems with Anchor more recent? Could it be the Pandemic that’s causing the problems and not really the vendor. We’re in lockdown here and have been for a couple on months now so online access is almost my only option. I can do curbside pickup but I can’t poke around in a brick and mortar store and see what’s available.
Thanks for the info Judy – it is as I thought DMC and Anchor are still available but not Cosmo. As you say it has not made it to the big times yet, but I think and hope it will. The problem with Anchor is that they have had a change of ownership – we used to be able to get it easily from the German manufacturers, but now we (all of us designers in South Africa) cannot locate the new overseas distributors – whoever we contact does not reply, and we just go around in circles. I did have a USA provider but they have discontinued – so have no choice but to discontinue also. I do have some stocks so will continue to use them till they run out. My thoughts are that I would like to replace Anchor with Cosmo as they have a similar colour range – the colours are quite subdued in contrast to DMC, and work beautifully in Needlepainting. So trying to establish if it is available in other countries. I can provide DMC substitutes if necessary but its not always accurate.x
Here in Phoenix area of Arizona DMC is easy to get jo Anns has it and hobby lobby seems to really have a selection
thats good to hear thanks.
I can find DMC locally at Joannes, but not the full color range. I have seen a dwindling of cotton embroidery thread availability, and it raises concerns. Prepackaged multicolor packs are increasingly available, but of unknown brands and quality. Several needlework shops have closed. In my area. With the loss of floss manufacturers, I really worry about the availability of high
In quality embroidery thread in the future. I have the full range of DMC and also the silk threads from Hand Dyed Fibers. Sadly she has also gone out of business.
Yes I agree with you Joan it is of concern. I am sure the shortage and closure of shops is due to Covid and hopefully this will normalize in time. I also agree that there are too many no name brand threads out there that are not necessarily colour fast or good quality, we need to be careful of that and continue to support the high quality brands. x
PS. I have also noticed multicolor packs are available – which does not help with Needlepainting where we need specific colours!
Trish, I live in North Carolina, U.S.A. DMC threads are readily available here in retail stores. Also, they are much less expensive than other brands. I really appreciate that most of your patterns use most/ all DMC threads. I can afford to use your patterns for this reason.
I hope you continue to at least list DMC equivalencies to use in your patterns if you decide to use another brand of floss. I have all your books and love your work! I would say I have stitched at least 20 -25 of your patterns. Your work inspired me to start embroidering!
Thanks Grace and rest assured I will always use DMC or provide the equivalent of I use another brand. So glad you are enjoying your stitching.
I’m in Qatar. Only DMC and that’s not easy to come by. What we cannot get is soie d’alters but your DMC conversion has made it possible to continue
Hi Claire are you able to order online from overseas. Being in South Africa we have always had to shop outside the country but at least we can get it. Au ver a soie is a bit tricky but there are quite a few shops stocking it online now. x
I live in Rhode Island and have been using Cosmo for a few months. I have found it on Etsy, sometimes in bundles. Also, Red Rock Threads in Nevada, https://redrockthreads.com/, carries it and ships quickly.
thats great to hear Paula you are very fortunate!
Snuggly Monkey sells sells Cosmos embroidery threads. There is also Wonderfil but I think they do mostly perle cottons. Personally I don’t like Wonderfil because I have not had a good experience quality-wise.
thats great to hear Mona thanks for letting me know.
Hi, just reading your post above on embroidery thread, and wonder if you have heard of PRESENCIA -FINCA-THREADS, made in Spain. I have only used the pearl cotton for smocked girl dresses, and so far I am satisfied with their quality and color availability. Please find below their contact information. Hope it is helpful.
https://www.presenciahilaturasonline.com/es/hilos/12-madeja-8-metros-mouline-color-liso.html
GLOBAL PRESENCIA HILATURAS, S.L.
Av. De la Mediterrània, 28
46600 – Alzira, ESPANA
Tel. 962455125 – Fax. 962403469
e-mail: tiendaonlin@presencia-hilaturas.es
web: http://www.presencia-hilaturas.es
Good luck. Regards,
Angelina
I have used their quilting thread. It is wonderful.
Thanks Angelina I am aware of Presencia and am able to order from their distributors. It does not have the colour selection I need but it is a lovely thread. 🙂
These are based in UK and have a good stock of cosmo stranded. Post to SA too.
https://eternalmaker.com/pages/shipping-and-returns
Thanks so much Susan that is so helpful, I am particularly concerned about UK and Europe so glad to hear it is available:)
Gee this is amazing to hear all the experiences of embroidery buffs around the world. I am fortunate because I inherited a ton of embroidery thread. More than I will ever use in a lifetime. I have also found some in thrift stores, where I’m sure my extra will end up someday. So it might be worth a try if you are searching.
Lucky you Lisa:) I do have access to wholesalers for all these brands but am concerned that my customers might struggle to get them. If I put out a new design with threads in that are hard to get it does not go down well!
Hi, I live in Holland and have no problems to buy DMC !!!!
I’m here in North Dakota. DMC is readily available, as well as through their USA-based website. Occasionally, they go out of stock on the website, but I’ve only found two shades that haven’t returned, and you have to buy the entire set of 35 threads in order to get those two, so that set is not available either, until they get it back. As a result, they’re not carrying any of the colors in that set as available, individually. However, I CAN buy them locally at my Hobby Lobby store who still carries those two colors, as well as the full line of all the colors and types of DMC thread. I can also buy DMC, Anchor, and Cosmos online. Anita’s Little Stitches’ website carries Cosmos, and actually dropped DMC! Anita’s is based in Texas.
Thanks Rhonda thats great to know:)
Trish,
I have heard on Fiber Talk that Sassy Jacks in North Carolina, USA is using this thread Cosmos, she has an online and brick and motor presence so this may be a avenue for you to look into.
My LNS Judy’s Stitchery Nook Harlingen, Texas , USA ships all over but alas she isn’t carrying Anchor or Cosmos. Good luck on your search!!
Jamie Cerda
Thanks Jamie thats good to know 🙂
I’m in Northern Colorado so I tend to order everything online. I actually haven’t purchased any threads since the pandemic started as I had an almost complete selection of DMC floss and floche. A couple of the local quilt shops carry Cosmo, which I haven’t tried. There’s a needlework shop in Greeley, about 30 miles east, that carries DMC, Anchor and Weeks Dye Works. Also, there is a shop in Denver which carries almost everything you could want, but I haven’t been there in over a year.
Hi Cynthia good to hear from you and dont blame you for staying at home, I have done the same. Thanks for the info.
Locally here in northeast Pennsylvania, I can buy DMC stranded floss and Sullivans. No Anchor and have never seen the Japanese brand, although the shades are lovely. Most threads are available on line, but the waits can be brutal.
Thanks Suzanne, yes the wait can be brutal!
I had never heard of Cosmo Lecien so I did a computer search and located on line sites and one retail store in the USA that sell the floss. It is more than double the cost of DMC. Floss is realtively inexpensive but having to pay for shipping to obtain Cosmo is more of a cost hurdle when one can source DMC locally in most areas in the USA.
Most brick and mortar shops (needlework and smocking) used to stock both Anchor and DMC. The ones I buy from have stopped stocking Anchor. DMC is the most widely available stranded cotton.
Sympathies on the gap in color range for DMC. I have resulted to alternating stitches between light and medium colors when I needed a color midway between light and medium. It isn’t a great solution as juggliing multiple threaded needles without tangling threads takes care and concentration. But with optical blending it works in small areas.
Your needle paintings are beautiful.
thanks for all the info Kim you are fortunate in the USA that you can get most brands. I find gaps in colours frustrating when I am trying to reproduce something realistic in embroidery and there is a specific colou/shader missing. I could use as many different brands and colours as I like but it would be like world war 3 for my customers if I put out a pattern with different brands of thread, so am trying to establish which brands are available worldwide !
I always try to stick with DMC wherever possible, but sometimes I have to add one or two shades from another brand…………..
I found Cosmo at Stitching Shop in Denver Colorado. I have ordered from them before and they are fast and responsive. Also reasonable. Have you designed anything using Cosmo? I would love to try it out.. Thanks for all you do, Trish. Your Kew book is FABULOUS!
Thats great to hear Charlotte and thank you!!
The Eternal Maker, in Chichester, West Sussex stocks a selection of Cosmo Lecien threads
thats so helpful Margaret and thank you.
Hello, Trish. Here in Brazil it is easy to find Anchor, altough I don’t like to use it to make my needle painting because the thread is very weak and it breaks a lot. DMC is a little more difficult to find, only a few stores sell it, it is very expensive and I don’t find all the colours I want and need. Best wishes, Adriana
Thanks Adriana, I am sorry to hear it is so difficult to source threads. Are you able to order online from other countries? I know they charge a lot of customs duties in Brazil?
I am in Pennsylvania, USA and I can get the full line of Cosmos in Denver, Colorado, online.
wonderful thanks Elizabeth.
Hi Trish,
Sassy Jack’s Stitchery has just started carrying Cosmo threads – the full line both solid colors and the variegated. You could try her. Best wishes!
Kathi
thanks Kathi:)
I have never used Anchor, but I’ve been using Cosmos Seasons (variegated) for quite a while and love them. I get them from Crabapple Studios ($1.70). I get the Cosmos solids from Red Rock Threads ($1.10) – they carry a lot of different brands with a good selection. Both places have great service
great to know thanks Suz.
I live in the UK and have found both DMC and Anchor easily obtainable. I havn’t tried the other make so cannot comment
Thanks Lesley good to know you can get both DMC & Anchor.
Dear Trish,
We are most fortunate in the US where there are many lines of 6-stranded cotton floss ranging from DMC and Anchor to wonderful hand dyes.
some of the staples are better / more polished than others. I’m thinking particularly of Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Arts. But there are other brands/dyers including lots of variegated colors and shades including Colour Complements with a full range of lovely shades.
Best, Miriam
While there is the appearance of wide availability of floss here in the states, that can be deceiving. Online sales can be problematic when trying to match colors, access is not always possible. Using a “common denominator” of easily accessible, DMC is readily available in local craft and hobby shops such as Micheals and JoAnns. Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Arts, and Cottage Threads, while beautiful and may be preferable, are not as commonly known unless there is more than one LNS in a stitcher’s locale.
Thanks Carrie thats interesting to know. It seems to be a worldwide problem no one has stock of the full range – we have the same problem with our DMC distributor here in South Africa and one can wait months for a colour. It is one of the reasons I dont provide thread with my designs – I would never be able to re-stock, as would be waiting weeks for specific colours!
Thanks Miriam, yes the selection of threads can be quite overwhelming and too tempting!