How to Substitute Cross-Stitch Thread Brands
Running out of DMC at the craft store? Pattern calls for Anchor but you only have Madeira? This guide walks through every aspect of substituting embroidery floss brands — from understanding match quality ratings to handling an entire pattern conversion.
Need to look up a specific color right now? Use the color search or browse color families.
Why You Might Need to Substitute
Availability. DMC dominates North American craft stores, but Anchor is the dominant brand in the UK and much of Europe, and Madeira is popular with machine embroiderers. If you live outside the US, the pattern's DMC color list may simply not be on your local shelves.
Price. DMC and Anchor are roughly comparable, but Madeira skeins are often larger (8m vs 6m per skein for Cosmo) and can cost less per meter when bought in bulk. Stitchers who work through a lot of thread sometimes switch brands purely on economics.
Preference. Some stitchers love Cosmo's softer hand, others prefer the crisper feel of DMC. Brand loyalty is real, and there is nothing wrong with converting a pattern to your preferred floss.
Discontinued colors. DMC has retired colors over the years. If a pattern calls for an old DMC number that's no longer made, you need either a substitute from the same brand or an equivalent from another. Use our search tool to find what's currently available.
Partial stash use. You already own three skeins of Anchor 403 (black) from a previous project. The new pattern calls for DMC 310 (also black). Swapping saves you a trip to the store and costs nothing.
Understanding Match Quality Levels
Every conversion on Stitchies is rated one of three quality levels. Here's what each means in practice.
What it means: The two colors are visually identical under normal lighting. You can swap freely without any perceptible difference in the finished piece.
Practically: Stitch with full confidence. No test stitches needed.
What it means: The colors are very similar but may show a slight hue or value difference side-by-side. In a full project they blend in without issue.
Practically: Stitch a small test area before committing. Generally safe for most patterns.
What it means: Same color family, noticeably different shade. A reasonable substitute when no better option exists, but the finished look will differ from the original.
Practically: Use only when you have no other option. Always stitch a sample first. Consider whether the color is large or prominent in the design.
Match quality ratings on Stitchies are based on verified conversion charts from multiple authoritative sources, not just LLM guesses. See our DMC vs Anchor comparison and DMC vs Madeira comparison for brand-level accuracy notes.
Step-by-Step: Substituting a Single Color
- 1. Find the color page. Search for the DMC number or name on Stitchies. The color page lists every known equivalent across DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Cosmo, and Sullivans with match quality ratings. For example, see the page for DMC 310 Black or DMC 321 Red.
- 2. Check the match quality. Choose an Exact match if one exists. If not, go Close. Only fall back to Approximate when you have no other option or the color plays a minor role in the design (e.g., a single backstitch detail).
- 3. Consider the color's role in the pattern. Is this color used in a large background fill, or just a few stitches? The larger and more prominent the area, the more important an exact match becomes. A slightly off background is far more noticeable than a slightly off accent color.
- 4. Stitch a test swatch. Before stitching the real project, stitch a 10×10 block of the substitute color next to the original (if you have any) on scrap fabric. View it under both natural daylight and artificial light — colors can shift significantly between lighting conditions.
- 5. Note the substitution in your project record. Write down the original color, the substitute, and the match quality. If you ever need to buy more thread mid-project, you'll know exactly what to get. This is especially important for large projects that span months.
Substituting an Entire Pattern from One Brand to Another
Converting a full pattern is a different challenge from swapping one color. Small individual errors compound — if ten colors are each "close but not exact," the cumulative effect can shift the palette noticeably.
Start with a conversion chart. Download our free DMC to Anchor printable chart for a quick reference sheet covering the full DMC range. Use our DMC vs Madeira comparison for Madeira conversions.
Flag problem colors before you start shopping. Go through every color in the pattern and mark any that have only an Approximate match in your target brand. These are your decision points — you may want to keep those few colors in the original brand, or find a creative workaround.
Group colors visually. Lay out all your substitute threads together before stitching. Look for any pair that is too similar — patterns sometimes rely on subtle value differences that may not survive a brand conversion. If two substitutes look nearly identical, you may need to make one slightly lighter or darker.
Use our palette tool. The palette builder lets you enter a list of DMC colors and see all available substitutes side by side, making full-pattern conversions much faster.
Stick to one conversion direction. If you're converting DMC to Anchor, convert everything to Anchor — don't mix brands arbitrarily across different colors in the same pattern (see the section on mixing brands below).
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Color drift across dye lots
Even within a single brand, thread dyed in different batches can vary slightly. Always buy enough of a single dye lot to finish an area — especially large fills. If you run out mid-project, the new skein may be noticeably lighter or darker. This problem is independent of brand substitution but becomes worse when switching brands, since brand dye formulations differ more than batch-to-batch variation within a brand.
Sheen differences
Not all 6-strand cotton floss has the same sheen. Madeira stranded cotton has a notably higher sheen than DMC. In a finished piece this can make Madeira sections look slightly brighter or shinier, which may or may not be what you want. Anchor has a matte-er finish than DMC. If sheen consistency matters (e.g., a blended-color background), stick to one brand for that entire area.
Coverage differences
Thread thickness varies slightly between brands even at the same strand count. Anchor thread is often cited as being slightly thicker per strand than DMC, which means 2 strands of Anchor can give slightly better coverage on 14-count than 2 strands of DMC. If you notice your substitute thread leaving gaps or looking overstuffed, adjust your strand count by one. Use the floss calculator to estimate thread needs when adjusting strand count.
Colorfastness
Most major brands (DMC, Anchor, Madeira, Cosmo) are colorfast when washed correctly. Cheap no-brand thread is not. If you are mixing a reputable brand with a budget brand in the same project, wash a test swatch before finishing — a single bleeding color can ruin surrounding areas.
Tips for Mixing Brands in the Same Project
Mixing brands is totally fine — professional stitchers do it all the time. The key is being intentional about where and how you mix.
Mix at color boundaries, not within a color. If you're using DMC 310 for black areas and Anchor 403 for a different black area in the same project, that's fine — both are true blacks and the boundary between them is a design element. What to avoid: using DMC 310 and Anchor 403 interchangeably within the same stitched area. Even exact matches can vary slightly between individual skeins.
Use your stash strategically. If you have leftover Anchor from a previous project and it's an exact match for a DMC color in your new pattern, use it — just use it to complete an entire section, not part of one.
Keep a thread key. When mixing brands in a project, maintain a color key that includes the brand alongside the color number. "DMC 321" and "Anchor 9046" are both reds, but if you're mid-project and need more thread, you need to know which one you used where.
Be aware of sheen inconsistency. As noted above, Madeira's higher sheen means mixing Madeira colors with DMC colors in the same area can create a visible texture difference. This is most noticeable in solid-fill areas viewed under raking light.
What to Do When There's No Close Match
Occasionally a color in your source brand has no good equivalent in your target brand — a very specific dusty mauve or an unusual chartreuse, for example. Here are your options:
Keep that one color in its original brand. This is almost always the simplest solution. The rest of the project can use your preferred brand; buy just that one skein in the original brand for the problem color. Most craft stores carry DMC even if you prefer Anchor.
Blend to approximate the color. Experienced stitchers sometimes blend two strands of different colors to approximate a missing shade. For example, one strand of a warm pink and one strand of lavender can mimic a dusty rose that neither color matches alone. This takes experimentation but gives you great creative control.
Use the color comparison tool. The color search lets you search by hex value or by color description. You may find a color in your target brand that's not listed in standard conversion charts but is actually a better visual match.
Accept the creative variation. Cross-stitch patterns are not sacred texts. If your finished piece uses a slightly different color than the original designer intended, that is entirely okay. The stitching is yours.
Brand-Specific Notes
DMC — The global baseline
DMC is the most widely used stranded cotton in the world, and nearly every pattern conversion chart uses it as the reference point. The thread has a moderate sheen, consistent weight across the full color range (500+ colors), and reliable colorfastness. Its hand (the feel of the thread as it stitches) is crisp and slightly firm. If you've only ever stitched with DMC, expect other brands to feel noticeably different. See the DMC vs Anchor comparison for side-by-side color matching.
Anchor — The European standard
Anchor is the other global giant and the default brand across much of Europe. Its thread is generally considered slightly thicker per strand than DMC, and its finish is marginally more matte. This means Anchor can give excellent coverage — some stitchers actually prefer it on high-count fabrics for this reason. Anchor's color range covers approximately 440 colors. Conversion between DMC and Anchor is the most thoroughly documented substitution; most colors have Exact or Close matches. See our full DMC to Anchor chart for a printable reference.
Madeira — High sheen, machine-friendly
Madeira stranded cotton has a noticeably higher sheen than DMC or Anchor — almost silky by comparison. This makes it popular with machine embroiderers and stitchers who want a more lustrous finish. The tradeoff is that this sheen can look out of place when mixing Madeira with other brands in the same piece. Madeira's color numbering system bears no resemblance to DMC or Anchor, so you always need a conversion chart. Coverage and strand weight are very similar to DMC. See the DMC vs Madeira comparison for full details.
Cosmo — Soft, vibrant, and underrated
Cosmo (made by Lecien in Japan) has a devoted following among stitchers who've tried it. It's noticeably softer and silkier than DMC, separates very cleanly, and its colors tend to be slightly more saturated and vibrant. The range covers around 500 colors. The main drawback is availability — Cosmo is harder to find outside of specialty shops and online retailers. Conversions from DMC to Cosmo are less well-documented than DMC-to-Anchor, and some Cosmo colors have only approximate DMC equivalents. Always verify Cosmo conversions with a physical comparison if possible.
Sullivans — Budget-friendly and accessible
Sullivans is a South African brand widely available in US craft chains (Hobby Lobby, Walmart) at a lower price point than DMC. Quality is reasonable for casual projects. The color range is smaller, and conversions from DMC to Sullivans often land at Close rather than Exact. For heirloom or gift pieces where color accuracy matters most, stick to DMC or Anchor. For everyday practice projects or kids' crafts, Sullivans is a solid budget choice.
Tools and Resources
- Color search — Find any DMC, Anchor, Madeira, or Cosmo color and see all cross-brand equivalents
- DMC vs Anchor comparison — Side-by-side color matching for the two biggest brands
- DMC vs Madeira comparison — Full conversion table with match quality ratings
- Printable DMC to Anchor chart — Free PDF reference covering the complete DMC range
- Palette builder — Convert an entire pattern color list at once
- Floss calculator — Estimate how much thread you need by strand count and stitch count
- Color families — Browse DMC colors by hue family (reds, blues, greens, etc.)
All conversion data on Stitchies is sourced from verified brand charts and cross-checked against multiple authoritative references. Match quality ratings reflect real color differences, not automated guesses. If you spot an error, use the feedback link on any color page to let us know.