I’ve identified these Anchor variegated floss replacements as, inexplicably, the company has discontinued these gorgeous colors. Fortunately, there are some really wonderful colors in the DMC and ThreadworX lines that will serve as excellent substitutes.
In 2015 I blogged a detailed comparison between the Anchor Multicolor (numbers 1300-1390) and DMC Color Variation lines, never thinking that Anchor would discontinue these colors [their ombre colors 1201-1220 are still available]. I can only surmise that the Multicolors were not a profitable line. Truly, it’s unfortunate as at least three of these colors were bestsellers in my shop. However, I think these replacement colors are just as attractive as their Anchor counterparts!
In the top half of the photo above you see the 24 variegated Anchor Multicolors and the bottom half features the corresponding DMC and ThreadworX skeins. I’ll share a brief description and a photo of each Anchor floss with what I determined to be its closest replacement(s) . I’ll also offer a rating between 0 – not different at all to 5 – very different to each replacement.
Anchor 1300’s closest match is ThreadworX 11140. They share the same lovely sandy beiges and the touch of wheat yellow. Difference rating: 2. Honorable mention goes to DMC 4145, which is much like a slightly darker version of the 1300. Difference rating: 3.
[Clicking on the photos will take you to Flickr, where you can take a closer look!]
I’ve identified two replacements for Anchor 1301: ThreadworX 1111 (left) and ThreadworX 1007 (right). 1111 is a combination of pastel peach, yellow, and green, where 1007 is more of a rainbow with pink, yellow, green, blue, and purple. 1301 has more yellow like the 1111, but it also has a touch of the pink and blue like the 1007. Difference rating for both: 1.
Anchor 1302 has a good replacement in ThreadworX 1143. They share the ivory and yellow-peachy colors. Where the 1302 tends toward brown the 1143 tends toward gray, but the 1143 really has the same color “spirit” as the Anchor. Difference rating: 2.
Anchor 1303 has two counterparts, DMC 4075 and DMC 4073. 4075 has more gold than the creamy yellow tones in the Anchor, and 4073 gets darker than the Anchor as well. Difference ratings: 2.
Anchor 1304 also has two DMC counterparts, DMC 4070 and DMC 4080. They’re both gorgeous and remind me of daffodils, however 4080 is definitely lighter than the 1304 and it’s shades of yellow and green are much more subtle. 4070 has more green and the gold doesn’t go as far toward orange like in the Anchor. Difference ratings: 3.
Anchor 1305 is comparable with DMC 4126 and ThreadworX 1105. 4126 includes some pink where the Anchor does not, whereas the 1105 has a little less yellow and has more gold tending toward orange. Difference rating on both: 2.
Anchor 1315’s closest match is DMC 4120. The DMC is all shades of orange and orange pink where the Anchor includes true pink and a touch of yellow. In my previous DMC/Anchor comparison post, I gave these a difference rating of 4, but now I’ve revised that number to a 3.
Anchor 1316 has three comparables: DMC 4205, DMC 4200, and ThreadworX 1097. The Anchor includes raspberry, red, orange, and gold. The 4205 has purple and red but no orange or gold. Difference rating: 4. The 4200 doesn’t have the darker reds but it does have some of the pink and orange. Difference rating: 3. The 1097 has the fiery red and orange, but no gold or darker reds. Difference rating: 4.
Anchor 1318 has an almost perfect match in ThreadworX 1074. The yellowy peach color doesn’t get quite as dark as with the 1318, but the quality of the peach color is nearly identical. Difference rating: 1.
Anchor 1320 is a fun one! Although there are no identical matches, the ones that come close are beautiful. DMC 4260 includes darker purple where the Anchor includes a hint of peach in it’s pinks. Difference rating: 4. ThreadworX 1149 has the same pink and peach but also includes green and blue-purple in a beautiful combination. Difference rating: 5. ThreadworX 1094 is essentially a deeper, more brilliant version of the 1320. Difference rating: 5.
Anchor 1325 and DMC 4215 are combinations of blue, purple, and pink. While the blue is very similar, the pink in the 4215 is much more subtle than the bright fuchsia in the Anchor. Difference rating: 3.
Anchor 1335’s closest matches are ThreadworX 10592 and ThreadworX 1062. The 10592 is a rainbow of pastel pink, peach, yellow, green, blue, and purple where the 1062 is mainly yellow, dusty pink, and green. The yellow and green in the 1062 has almost the exact same quality as in the 1335. Difference rating for the 10592: 4, and for the 1062: 3.
Anchor 1342 has a comparable in Anchor 1212. [Where the Anchor 1300 series has been discontinued, at this time the 1200 series is still available.] The 1212 is a touch closer to a navy blue rather than the aqua tone of the 1342, but they are both variegated light blue. Difference rating: 2.
Anchor 1344 is a tough one. The two closest matches are DMC 4214 and ThreadworX 1019. The 4214 has much more pink and the blue is different compared to the aqua colors in the 1344. The 1019 has the aqua color but it’s much lighter than the 1344. Difference rating for the 4214: 4, and for the 1019: 3.
Anchor 1345 is another fun one! While there are two DMC flosses, DMC 4030 and DMC 4050 that have similarity to 1345, the closest matches are ThreadworX 10090 and ThreadworX 1054. 10090 has the aqua blues and greens but not the purple of the 1345. 1054 has the purple and the greens, but is not quite as bright as the 1345. Difference rating for both: 3.
Anchor 1347 has two comparables: DMC 4030 and ThreadworX 11381. 4030 has similar greens but lighter blues than the 1347. The 11381 has nearly identical dark and medium blues but the light blue and green aren’t quite there. Difference rating for the 4030: 4 and for the 11381: 3.
In my previous DMC/Anchor comparison post, I said that 1349 is basically a lighter version of DMC 4240 and gave them a difference rating of 3. While I still agree with that rating, now I think ThreadworX 1026 is an even closer match with its dusky blues and purples. Difference rating: 2.
Anchor 1352 has a nearly perfect match in ThreadworX 1060. They may be very slightly different qualities of green, but the difference is virtually indistinguishable. Difference rating: 1.
Anchor 1353’s closest comparable is DMC 4506, one of the Coloris flosses. The quality of the greens and yellows in the 4506 are nearly identical to the 1353. However, the 4506 does include a bit of dark teal. Difference rating: 3.
Anchor 1355 has a great match in DMC 4506, same as Anchor 1353. They share the same dark teal, greens, and golds, although the 4506 has a bit more of the gold. Difference rating: 2. 1355 also has similarites with ThreadworX 10522 especially in their teals and golds. Difference rating: 4.
Anchor 1360 and Anchor 1375 share one replacement: ThreadworX 1154. Where DMC and Anchor’s manufacturing process limits them to four colors per skein, ThreadworX is all hand-dyed. The result is a true, rich, rainbow with dark pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Difference rating with the 1360: 3 and with the 1375: 2.
[1154 is an incredibly popular color in my shop. I also carry 1154 metallic thread in 3 sizes (4, 8, and 12) and 1154 perle cotton in 4 sizes (3, 5, and 8).]
Anchor 1385 has two comparables: DMC 4128 and ThreadworX 1072. The 4128 has more subtle browns where the ThreadworX has some brown but is a bit brighter with its oranges and golds. Difference rating with the 4128: 4 and with the 1072: 3.
The last Multicolor is Anchor 1390. It’s closest match is ThreadworX 1037. While the 1037 may be lighter overall, it shares the shades of dark chocolate, gold, rust, and ecru with 1390. Difference rating: 2.
I have a couple footnotes on this post (these are same footnotes as on my other posts that discuss colors). First, in order to get the full effect of the differences and similarities of the flosses, you really need to see them for yourself in different types of lighting. I’ve tried my best to capture the subtleties of the color differences, but cameras don’t always do the same job as the human eye.
Second, you have to account for some differences between the color of skeins. DMC has incredible quality control and they produce amazingly consistent colors. However, I may have skeins that are slightly different in color than DMC’s laboratory conditions or the lighting in your house or workplace with your monitor. ThreadworX floss is dyed by hand in small batches, therefore some differences between strands and skeins is to be expected.
So when you look at DMC 4030 or ThreadworX 11381 and think “That’s not even close to Anchor 1347! Is she on drugs or something?” The answer is “well, maybe a glass of wine,” and please remember that colors will look different in various locations and lighting.
All that being said, what do you think of Anchor discontinuing their Multicolors? Has my review above helped you? Are you likely to check out these suggestions for Anchor variegated floss replacements? Let me know in the comments!