The DMC floss is from my local craft store, and the CXC is from an Etsy seller. It’s stitched on 22ct aida.
If I’ve learned nothing else from this experience it’s that aida cloth made by Loops & Threads may possibly be the worst made anywhere… Seriously don’t buy it
But I digress. Each test has a 2 over 1 10x10 square, a 2 over 1 tent stitch, and a 1 over 1 backstitch
DMC (listed as “D”) and CXC (listed as “C”) both use the same numbering system
All pictures were taken after this was washed and ironed
Here are the closeups of each color and I will give my final thoughts and total costs at the end!
DMC 726
DMC 740
DMC 420
DMC 3716
DMC 920
DMC 817
DMC 3861
DMC 550
DMC 932
DMC 3843
DMC 911
DMC 3818
Next the prices:
DMC from the local craft store is $0.69USD/skein
The CXC had to be purchased in bulk, with the smallest amount being 50 skeins at $16.61USD which makes them about $0.33/skein HOWEVER, no one sells this locally and unbeknownst to me the shipper I bought from was based in the UK but even with shipping the cost still came to a slightly less impressive $0.64USD/skein
So, definitely a big savings IF you can find it nearby!
As you can see some colors came out almost identical, while others are off slightly, and one or two being really noticably different
The CXC floss is definitely thicker and fuzzier and a little bit harder to work with, but not terribly so!
I would say you could use one or the other without any major difference in the finished piece UNLESS you’re using them directly side by side as I did in the test pattern
My personal final opinion is that I would still probably pay more for the DMC floss just because it’s easier to work with unless I needed to buy in bulk for a huge project that needs like 75 to 100 different colors in which case the CXC would be the way to go, but I wouldn’t necessarily mix the two in the same project!
Well, that’s it! Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it!
Wow those colours are a lot closer than my one foray into the off-brand stuff. Like, a LOT closer! And UK you say? Might need you to hook me up lol.
You really went above and beyond for this scientific report and I for one appreciate it very much. Now just to take identical photos for the next 20 years then report back on how the stitches and colouring have held up over time 😉
What’s so unusual about the aida?
Interestingly they didn’t look as similar before I washed and ironed the finished pattern! When I washed it they looked even more different while the fabric was wet, but once I ironed it and let it dry they looked much more similar!
Here is the Etsy seller I used! Even going from the UK to the US the shipping wasn’t bad and it got here really fast!
The aida is the house brand of Michael’s, which is one of the craft stores I go to. It felt very flimsy, and it stretched out of shape WAY too easily. The worst part though was that stitches kept getting pulled straight through the cloth! This is why the backstitch patterns on the right started to look more and more sloppy 😞
Oh my, doing the craft gods’ work! Amazing work. They nailed the colours almost completely.
This is an amazing comparison and write up, thank you! I adore citizen science. <3
Visually it’s very striking how bad that media is that you sowed this in. I have no idea what any of this stuff is really but I can definitely see that it’s terrible.
Also, I can see how the DMC floss has a little bit more sheen to it. I bet that it’s fibers are smoother and better woven and that makes it have less friction and give it a little bit more sheen and that’s why it’s easier to work with.
Very good write up! TIL!
This is some serious science! Nice work!! Thanks for the close up photos.
Loops and threads is terrible. The last piece I bought wasn’t even square. It failed at its one true purpose…
I tried using their floss for a while when I first started stitching and compared to DMC it was like stitching with hemp rope lol! This time I thought “it’s just a piece of cloth with holes in it, how can anyone screw that up?”… They certainly managed it somehow
Oh, yeah, I forgot about their terrible floss. I have a baggie of that stuff I bought for teaching kids. It was super prone to tangles, too. Unfortunate, because it was a good deal.
I might have to try cxc after I work through my dmc stash.