I am always on the lookout for new embroidery flosses (As I have written before, I am something of a "flossaholic"). So, when a reader emailed me to ask my opinion of Sullivan's floss, I was intrigued because it was a brand name I did not recognize.
After doing some research, I discovered that Sullivans Embroidery floss is available in most Hancock Fabrics. One feature of the floss is that each skein has the number of the similar DMC floss color printed right on the label. I have some samples of the floss, and I am working on a small project with it. So far, it seems to be a good mid-grade floss. If you have a stitcher who is just starting out, this floss will be great for simple projects.
Have you used Sullivan floss? Vote in the poll and let us know.
If you have stitched with the floss, use the comment button below to let us know your evaluation and opinion of it.
If you have a photo of a project stitched with Sullivan floss (or any other brand of floss!), submit a photo for inclusion in the About.com Cross Stitch Photo Album.
After doing some research, I discovered that Sullivans Embroidery floss is available in most Hancock Fabrics. One feature of the floss is that each skein has the number of the similar DMC floss color printed right on the label. I have some samples of the floss, and I am working on a small project with it. So far, it seems to be a good mid-grade floss. If you have a stitcher who is just starting out, this floss will be great for simple projects.
Have you used Sullivan floss? Vote in the poll and let us know.
If you have stitched with the floss, use the comment button below to let us know your evaluation and opinion of it.
If you have a photo of a project stitched with Sullivan floss (or any other brand of floss!), submit a photo for inclusion in the About.com Cross Stitch Photo Album.
Comments
I went to get some (DMC) floss tonight at Hancock Fabrics. I was very disappointed to find they had a mixture of DMC and Sullivan flosses. First, as I was looking for the floss numbers, Sullivan uses a very different numbering system. They had a cross-reference list available and each bin had “similar to DMC ###”. The second problem was the colors were not very “similar” – sometimes not at all! I never could have switched over to Sullivan mid-project, but even if I were to start with Sullivan (using the incident from tonight’s venture) someone who was supposed to have dark grey/black hair would have ended up with deep blue! No thanks, give me DMC any day.
My hubby just came home with some Sullivan’s after doing his best to get me what I wanted at Hancock. The Sullivan’s doesn’t have the sheen DMC has, nor does it feel as nice to the touch. And after checking the colors to see how close they match in my floss sampler thingy, they are not close enough, in my opinion. But I’m a bit of a DMC snob.
I’ll wait till I can get the DMC thread.
Got the DMC colors today and matched them to the Sullivan colors hubby bought the other day. Pretty dern close! Not sure why my sampler thingy was so off. Figured I’d follow up on my last comment.
Thanks for letting us know. I am sure some colors won’t be as exact, but it is nice to know if you stitch a pattern in Sullivan’s floss it will be close to the chart done in DMC. So, it really will function as a substitute in other words!
I also recently visited Hancock Fabrics to pick up some floss and was surprised to discover the changeover from DMC to Sullivans. I went online to Hancock Fabrics expressing my concerns and received a response both from Hancock Fabrics and Sullivans. The gentleman from Sullivans addressed my concerns and also asked me to provide a list of DMC colors I am using on a current project and offered to provide comparable Sullivan samples. I am going to do so with the intent of testing for color fastness and comparability to DMC floss I am currently using.
The biggest drawback I see is the availability of the floss and the acceptance by designers in their charts. Without this I don’t foresee a big move from DMC to Sullivans
Went to Hancocks today. Disappointed they don’t sell DMC. DMC is top quality. Sullivans–I won’t buy it. It has a “dull” sheen compared to DMC. I don’t like it and I won’t buy it.
I have seen this Sullivans floss. It’s terrible. As the other have said, there is no sheen or depth to the colors. It is very obviously inferior to DMC.
Why a store would switch from DMC to this stuff is beyond me. They must realize dedicated stitchers aren’t going to accept this stuff in lieu of DMC.
Terrible stuff and I will never buy a single skein. If pushed I will pay higher prices for DMC. But I will never stitch with Sullivan’s. i will switch to Anchor before I try Sullivan’s. At least Anchor is a quality product similar to DMC.
Recently I discovered Sullivans Floss and I actually found it to be a very good quality, if you are a designer they have a designer program where they send you samples for free for you to try. Plus they have overhauled their website to include an online color card and conversion chart which makes the switch a breeze, you can see it here:
http://www.sullivans.net/usa/colorcard/index.html
For those of you that are skeptical, I recommend that you try it at least once on a small project since its price is cheaper than DMC.
I have used Sullivan floss on small projects. what I noticed was that I could use a longer length with out the strand fraying or twisting and knoting on the back of my project. I have just introduce it into my store and have a survey on Sullivan floss. I think that it is comparable. I have a few customers that are willing to give it a try. I’ll keep you posted as to how they like it.
Thanks! I will be interested to hear their feedback. I am really liking stitching with it, but of course, I love to try out new things!
A friend of mine who is a designer introduced me to use Sullivan’s floss. I gave it a try on my resent project. Wow! It Is Dern Good!!!!! I am very disappointed with DMC floss for quite long time. DMC quality is no longer good at all. Some people may say as always “DMC is the best”, but it’s not the case any more. Well, who cares about which brand?? DMC never pay us money to use their floss, no one! We buy floss, and We Do Care about our Project!! Am I right?? I put lots of time and efferts on my cross stitch projects. If they finanlly end up to something really good, That Is All About!!
My friends, Everything’s changing. Let’s be smart. Choose the best for us! I am now very excited about this “Sullivans” floss. It’s quite impressive.
I got a little panicky when first I found NO embroidery supplies at all at Wal-mart, then NO DMC at Hancock Fabrics. Hopefully, Michaels will continue with DMC as I am in too deep to make a total switch at this time. I will however give Sullivans a try on a small project because it is much cheaper than DMC. In the meantime I will make good use of my vintage collection of American, Galaxy, Beechwood and Peri-lustre. If only any of the current brands had the feel of these old retired brands *sigh*.
Kathy
Our local x-stitch store is switching to Sullivan because of quality. Compared Sullivan and a new skein of DMC under a mag light and the DMC looked like barbed wire. No wonder it’s been fraying and splitting! Have heard that DMC has been switching from Egyptian cotton to just regular cotton for cost reasons. Would be worth digging out some “old” DMC and retrying the experiment.
Hancock Fabrics gave away a free sample of White Sullivans floss a few weeks ago and when I ran out of a certain color of DMC I went back and got a Sullivans to replace it. The color was very close but I found the coverage wasn’t as good as DMC and I had to use 3 strands of Sullivans to have the same coverage as 2 strands of DMC. I’ll continue to use DMC.
I was in the middle of a complicated design and needed more DMC, I picked some up at Hancock (sullivans thread) and tried it. Not anywhere close to the DMC color I was using. Now I am trying to find a place close to get DMC. As someone said in the comment section, not the same rich color.
I absolutely hate stitching with black DMC as I find it shreds easily and is not uniform thickness, but I really needed to use black for my current project. I was given a skein of black Sullivan’s floss and I love it, the thread is even thickness, doesn’t shred as much and I would definitely use it again.
I have been working on a complicated project for several years and ran out of floss from DMC. Went to purchase more DMC to finish the project and found that they dye lots had been changed, not just slightly, but several shades lighter. This has happened with several colors. Hoping to try Sullivan as I have heard that they are similar to DMC but cannot find anyplace that carries them in So. Cal.
I haven’t used it yet but while at the store yesterday to look for some floss (DMC and EdMar) I noticed a small display of Sullivan. One of the employees told me if I was doing a special project, don’t use the Sullivans. I was rather surprised. Does anyone know if the Sullivans color is stable or does it bleed?
As for DMC, I’ve purchased a few skeins recently and I notice a difference in quality too. It tends to fray and get fuzzy as I use it. And while transferring the floss to a floss card, the skein had knotted bits in it that I had to cut out. Almost like they tied two ends together. Ick.
I have used DMC for over 28 years and over the years I have noticed a change in DMC. The dye lots are never the same from one box of twelve to the next. I used to work in the needlework department at Hobby Lobby. Every time I ordered a new box it was a different color from the last box. The thread seem to have changed in it strength and feel also. The thread was no longer stable and ran when washed and it frays every time you stitch with it. You must constantly cut the tail shorter and shorter so it won’t knot up. The price of a single floss just keeps going up as the quality goes down. I have been disappointed in the thread for some time now. I cross stitch every day and the DMC thread is in my opinion ~ terrible!
A designer told me about Sullivans new thread line so I bought some to try. I absolutely love it !!! I like the way it feels, it does not fray like DMC and it is cheaper than DMC and the colors are pretty darn close.
You can only find it in needlework shops and it is cheaper for shop owners to get Sullivan’s also.
So, I say two thumbs up for Sullivan’s thread and shop owners alike.
It’s about time someone produced a product that we can count on to do our stitching from one project to the next.
I have started buying the colors about 50 to 100 at a time and will change over completely with my new projects. I would not mix the two threads because they will not match but then if I didn’t buy enough DMC at the time I purchased a pattern it wouldn’t match anyway.
So, give Sullivans a try you may find you like it! What have you got to lose?
If you’re looking for DMC, try Herrschener’s catalog. They carry the full range. I have no DMC source where I live, and the catalog ships quickly. I’m going to try Sullivans which I can get where I live, but just looking at it, I’m not excited about it.
I was re-making a project for a second child. Went to Hancocks and found only Sullivans. NOT EVEN CLOSE MATCH for my project- which were all military colors. It also looked dull and almost artificial– cheap looking. So I drove another 10 miles to get DMC. I’m now a happy stitcher!
Hi stitchers
In my family we have been doing with DMC Since my grand ma maternal side. Good luck with your dmc.
I was also disappointed when Hancock discontinued DMC. Contacted Hancock and a Sullivan rep called me and told me DMC was made at the same plant as Sullivan in China! Not so!! DMC is still made in France. Sullivan doesn’t even feel nice. Try Cosmo. It is expensive and available at some quilt shops and some quilt designer websites. Colors are very vivid. Black doesn’t fuzz nor fray. Has DMC comparison chart as well. I use both DMC and Cosmo. I have had a problem with fraying if I use too small a needle with any floss. Went to a larger needle and no problem.
I think a lot of you are missing the boat here. I bought Sullivan floss to work 3 large panels for a quilt and I love it. I’m on my fifth skein. It might be a bit duller in color than DMC but has a nice cotton feel to it. And the big plus is that it doesn’t knot and break. If you do get a knot, they seem to slide out easier. I highly recommend it.
Like the DMC much better, sullivan seems thinner than dmc, I use 2 strands when I embroidery, can sure tell difference, colors do seem to be pretty close. not sure where to find dmc in my area only place I find floss is at Handcock fabrics, live in Omaha ne area.
I have been using Sullivan’s and just love it. DMC’s quality has been going downhill for quite awhile. It shreds, knots, and just not as nice to use. I plan to switch over to Sullivan’s entirely. by the way if you live in CA, Beverly’s Fabrics carries Sullivans for .33 per skein, same price as DMC at Michael’s. I like the feel and smoothness of the Sullivan’s, not as kinky. I am using it on some Christmas projects and have only had 1 knot which is great as I would have had many, many more than that with DMC. The Needle Arts magazine of EGA recently had an article on Sullivan’s. I had already been using it for awhile when I read it, much nicer than DMC. I did find it had a sheen and has matched the DMC colors very well so far, esp. 699 and 321. I would encourage you to give it a try. I think you’ll like the results.
thanks everyone — I read every comment. I can’t wait to get my hands on Sullivan thread — I love to try all the different threads. I’ve noticed the same decline in DMC noted by other commenters.