Like a lot of products, whether it is toothpaste, a phone or a car we have a habit of becoming loyal to one brand. It may be the first one we use, recommended by a friend, the influence of advertising or simply a tried and trusted favourite.

There are several different brands of stranded embroidery floss available as well as thread that is unbranded. The brand that seems most common in haberdasheries and craft shops I’ve visited is DMC, but Anchor is also available. Other brands that offer stranded embroidery floss include Maderia, Paintbox Crafts, Rico, Trimmits and Duchess/Trebla

What to look out for in the floss you use:

• Range of colours - as different brands have different looks to their thread, it is a good idea to pick all the threads for a project from the same brand

• Composition - is it 100% cotton or mixed with other fibres such as acrylic, different thread compositions have different sheens and strength

• Texture - some threads are ‘fluffier’ than others ie you can see the fibres sticking out from the main thread

• Colour fastness - if you stitch items that will be washed then this is an important consideration

• Cost - tends to indicate quality, although there are plenty of cheap poundshop threads that I’ve loved stitching with

DMC is the most widely available and the most popular for a reason. It comes in a wide range of colours and have a smooth texture that gives a lovely sheen to the finished stitching.

However, I also like stitching with Duchess/Trebla which has more cotton texture and a more matt look. It suits my style of embroidery.

Over the years my stash of floss is a real mish-mash. It is made up of floss I’ve specifically purchased for a project, left over floss that came in a kit I bought or spur of the moment impulse pound shop purchase.

In other words, most of the time it doesn’t matter what brand of floss you stitch with, just pick one that best fits your needs and your budget.

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