Sonja ([info]matraquer) wrote in [info]cross_stitch,
@ 2006-04-01 12:32:00
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Entry tags:equipment, floss conversion

Discontinued DMC colors?
Went out last night and significantly added to my floss stash... As I've been going through the colors, I've noticed some that have one color listed and another color in parentheses... I want to go through my inventory and make sure I know these aliases (to prevent much heartache when looking for a color).

I bought a color card a week or two ago, and found I had colors in my inventory that weren't on a color card. Putting them into DMC's site comes up with "no color exists".

So far (new color = old color):

3813 = 504
732 = 731
782 = 781
3760 = 806
740 = 971
407 = 3773
3326 = 776

Does anyone know how they get their numbering scheme and why discontinue one number for another?

EDIT:
I looked at my color card again and the differences are noted. I updated the list above with everything noted on the card for those without this info!


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[info]parenthetical
2006-04-01 09:15 pm UTC (link)
The only one I have noted down in my own floss list is that 3773 is now 407. I'd be really interested to know the reason for the changes too!

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[info]oddharmonic
2006-04-01 09:32 pm UTC (link)
All of the colors you listed were discontinued by DMC in 2001. Here's a table with recommended substitutions:

NumberColor NameOld NumberOld Color Name
3813
Blue Green, Light
504
Blue Green, Very Light
732
Olive Green
731
Olive Green, Dark
3326
Rose, Light
776
Pink, Medium
782
Topaz, Dark
781
Topaz, Very Dark
3760
Wedgewood, Medium
806
Peacock Blue, Dark
740
Tangerine
971
Pumpkin
407
Desert Sand, Dark
3773
Desert Sand, Medium


I don't know how DMC determines its number scheme, but here are a few pages that talk abut discontinued and reformulated DMC colors:
- History of DMC stranded colour changes in recent years from Aion Needlecfrafts
- About DMC's Color Changes and the "Dots" Before/After/Around Numbers by Martha Beth Lewis
- Needlework FAQ: Threads, Fibers, Embellishments from Kathleen Dyer's Counted Cross Stitch, Needlework, and Stitchery Page.

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[info]macbeaner
2006-04-01 09:36 pm UTC (link)
Does that mean if I have the above mentioned discontinues colors I should hide them in a dark drawer somewhere? :)

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[info]puchuupoet
2006-04-02 02:51 am UTC (link)
Thank you for the info. I've been trying to figure out what the two numbers meant, since it isn't really made clear on the actual floss "tag" itself.

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[info]jennlk
2006-04-02 02:57 am UTC (link)
Changes in the EU envronmental regulations (DMC is based in France) meant that they had to change the dyes they used to dye the floss. At that time they discontinued some floss colors *only* in the EU.

Most of those colors should be available in North America. (although maybe not at your local craft-y store, as there are too many to fit in the usual racks.)

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[info]chanda_m
2006-04-02 07:52 am UTC (link)
Thanks for posting this... its good to have the list of discontinued colours and their replacements available for reference!

When I first came across a discontinued colour I asked about it and was given the same answer [info]jennlk explained above.

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[info]crwilley
2006-04-02 02:53 pm UTC (link)
Oddly, I have a pattern that calls for both 3813 and 504. I have some (old, circa 1996) 504, and it's not the same as my (new, circa 2004) 3813, which is a teense darker (and notes right on the label that it is also 504). In bad light they'd probably look more or less the same, though.

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