What is the DMC equivalent of an Appletons shade?
Type the Appletons number into the converter above. It shows the closest DMC floss, taken from a published DMC-to-Appleton chart read in reverse and labeled as an approximate match.
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Appletons to DMC Conversion for Crewel Wool Shades
Your crewelwork pattern lists Appletons shade numbers, but you want to stitch it in cotton floss, or you have DMC in your stash and no idea which wool it replaces.
Enter an Appletons crewel wool number and see its closest DMC shade, plus matches in six other brands. Every wool match is approximate and labeled that way.
Convert an Appletons shade
It opens on Appletons 504 (Scarlet). Type any Appletons crewel wool number to see its closest DMC floss and matches in the other brands.
1Milyen márkájú hímzőfonalad van?
2Melyik színt szeretnéd átváltani?
Appletons #
Egy egész projektet váltanál át?A márka- és kódoszlopokat azonnal beolvassuk, anélkül hogy a fájlt bármilyen szolgáltatásba feltöltenénk.
Ez van neked
Appletons 504 · Scarlet
DMCNagyon jó
304
Red Medium
92%egyezés
Még498Red Dark92%
AnchorNagyon jó
59
Ultra Dk Dusty Rose
92%egyezés
Még42Dark Rose92%
CosmoNagyon jó
241A
Cosmo 241A
92%egyezés
Még857Cosmo 85792%
GammaNagyon jó
3086
Dusty Raspberry
92%egyezés
Még0064Dark Red92%
MadeiraNagyon jó
0210
Christmas Red Light
92%egyezés
Még0510Christmas Red92%
Loops & ThreadsNagyon jó
730
92%egyezés
Még72687%
Appletons✓ A te márkád
504
Scarlet · gyapjú
100%egyezés
Még209Flame Red88%
PaternayanNagyon jó
968
Christmas Red · gyapjú
92%egyezés
Még940Cranberry92%
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What Appletons crewel wool is
Appletons crewel wool is a fine two-ply wool made in England and loved for traditional crewelwork, Jacobean designs and needlepoint. Its colors come in families (Scarlet, Early English Green, Cornflower and many more), with shade numbers that usually step from light to dark within a family.
Because the wool is soft and slightly fuzzy, it fills shapes generously and blends well in long & short shading. Crewel stitchers often use one strand for detail and two or three together for bolder work or canvas.
Why wool to cotton is always approximate
Different material
Wool takes dye differently from cotton, so even the best-matched pair can look slightly different side by side, especially in daylight.
Different sheen
Crewel wool is matte; stranded cotton has a soft shine. A shine makes a color look lighter where it catches the light.
Different thickness
One strand of crewel wool is roughly as thick as two or three strands of six-strand floss. It varies with how tightly you stitch, so test before you commit.
Where our Appletons equivalents come from
Appletons doesn’t publish color values for its wool, so we can’t measure one against DMC directly. Shade numbers come from Appletons’ own conversion chart and its US distributor’s order form. The DMC equivalents come from The Stitchers Village DMC-to-Appleton Crewel chart, read in reverse, which makes every one of them approximate.
The converter includes 257 Appletons shades that have a DMC equivalent. Each borrows its equivalent’s color, so its matches in other brands are shown as Great at most, never Identical. Shades with no known DMC equivalent are left out rather than guessed.
How to use the Appletons converter
Choose Appletons
Select Appletons as the brand and type the shade number from your pattern or skein label.
Read the DMC match
The closest DMC shade appears first, with a % match and a second option to try.
Check the other brands
Anchor, Cosmo, Gamma, Madeira, Loops & Threads and Paternayan matches appear too, handy if your stash is mixed.
Convert the whole list
Upload a CSV of every shade in the pattern and download a spreadsheet of matches.
Tips for substituting floss for crewel wool
- Stitch a small swatch of each swap on your project fabric before buying the whole list.
- Buy one skein first and check it next to the wool in daylight.
- Expect to use more strands of cotton than of wool for the same coverage; try three strands of floss for one of crewel wool and adjust.
- Keep shading families together: if one shade in a light-to-dark run is off, check its neighbors too.
- Wool forgives a little unevenness; floss shows it, so keep stitches the same length and tension.
Working from a photo instead? Make a hand embroidery pattern from your photo and choose Appletons as the thread brand: the pattern uses one strand of wool throughout. For cotton, see how many strands of floss to use.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Appletons to DMC chart?
Not one we could find from either maker. Our equivalents come from The Stitchers Village DMC-to-Appleton Crewel chart, read in reverse, so they are approximate.
How many strands of DMC equal one strand of Appletons crewel wool?
Roughly two or three strands of six-strand floss, depending on your tension and fabric. Stitch a test patch to check coverage.
Why don’t Appletons matches ever say Identical?
Appletons publishes no color values, so each shade borrows its DMC equivalent’s color. Because those equivalents are approximate, matches are capped at Great.
Why can’t I find my Appletons shade?
Shades with no known DMC equivalent aren’t in the converter yet. Try a neighboring shade in the same color family.
Can I use DMC floss for a crewelwork pattern?
Yes. The look will be smoother and shinier than wool, and you’ll need more strands for the same coverage.
Turn your photo into a hand embroidery pattern
Making and editing a pattern is free with a StitchThis account. Saving it or downloading the PDF uses a pattern credit ($5.99 per pattern, or 5 for $20). Embroidery is included in Maker ($5.99/month) and in Craft Unlimited, with unlimited patterns.