How To Age DMC Threads?

I regularly get contacted about how to age DMC threads, and I’m always willing to help as it normally opens up a whole interesting nest of information. This was exactly the case recently when someone managed to get their hands on some 1920s DMC threads that even DMC didn’t have copies of (more on that story in a few weeks).
But it made me realise that in the search of gaining a full set of DMC threads, many choose to buy second-hand threads (they are the best thead deals after all!) and many wonder exactly what the age of these threads are.

So without further ado, we look through history to detail how you can age your DMC threads!

 

The Evolution of DMC Thread Labels Through Time

DMC embroidery thread has been around for ages – 120 years to be exact! That’s a whole lot of stitching. And throughout the decades, the DMC label has gone through makeover after makeover.
There is a somewhat vintage vibe to DMC thread labels, but this is actually a rather recent invention. Originally, DMC threads were sold on spools, similar to Anchor’s recent failure to move to spools.

1910

However not long after the brand launched its threads, it realised demand would massively outstretch its ability to produce spools, so only 12 years after the threads launched in 1898, DMC moved from spools to skeins, and our story really begins!

1920s

While skeins did exist from roughly 1910, we don’t know much about how they looked. But there are a few things we do know. Firstly, there was only one wrapper, straight in the middle of the skein. But most interestingly, each skein was 7 yards, and not the 8.6 yards we’re familiar with now.
In the 1920s, as the DMC company started to expand beyond its initial sales area of France, the labels were updated to be uniform, and a little closer to how we know them today. With a very small bottom wrap added, and new dark blue color scheme, and the top wrap stating it was a “six strand” “7yrd” thread, the threads started to move across Europe.

1930s

In the 1930s, the DMC company started to expand further into the European and pan-American markets, however they were unsure on what size skein to use. This resulted in a few skein length variations in this time. The most common one found now though if the 10 meter skein, sold mostly in Germany. We don’t know when these skeins fell out of favor, or when the experimentation started in the 30s, but by the outbrake of World War II, the 10 meter skeins were no longer in circulation.

1940s

Due to the war, there were almost no threads created this decade.

1950

In 1950, after selling 7-yard threads for over 50 years, DMC changed its plan and started selling skeins at 8.6 yards. In reality, the DMC company was simply updating to the metric system, and 8.6 yards is a nice 8 meters. Why exactly it took them 155 years to move to metric when the rest of France was already there is a bit beyond us, but with metric measurements now the standard, DMC updated their wraps to show 8.6 yards (yes, they didn’t mention meters, even though that was what they were moving to).
Other than that, the labels remained the same. However the 50s actually had a lot of change in these labels, and we wonder if maybe DMC wanted a slower update approach to not modernise too quickly.

1954

The next major change in the labels this decade was the bottom wrap, which increased in size, by roughly double. This was still smaller than the labels we know today but allowed DMC to place the color number vertically along the thread.

1958

However, the largest change was yet to come. In 1958 the DMC company really wanted to sell its brand. At this time, a lot of homegrown embroidery thread companies were gaining popularity in export countries, so DMC needed to cement itself as the big boy with history.
To sell this better, they added the DMC name to the bottom wraps, (for some reason) flipped the numbers on the bottom label, and changed the top wraps to the style we recognise today, with the “25” added and the measurement finally changed to 8m on the label.

1960

But this change didn’t last long, as in 1960, they updated the threads again. This time however they started to back-pedal.
They removed the previously added DMC name from the bottom label and then changed the now iconic label color to a bright blue.
Of all the threads out there, this is usually the rarest style to find, as the design lasted less than a year (we think 8 months) before it was changed yet again, back to its 1958 version in early 1961.

1961

A massive change was on the cards for the DMC company though.
Whilst we’ve not mentioned it, up to this point DMC wasn’t the largest player in the embroidery thread space. Its competitor, Thiriez & Cartier Bresson was.
Having over twice the threads Thiriez & Cartier Bresson was without a doubt the go-to embroidery thread company for and stitcher. But with a very small sewing thread selection, Thiriez & Cartier Bresson started to struggle.
It’s not known who approached who, but in early 1960 the discussion to merge was on the cards (making the 1960 label changes an even weirder choice), and in late 1961 it finally happened.
This change brought with it many changes in the company, with the addition of the horse head logo (from Thiriez & Cartier Bresson) and a change of name from “Dollfus-Mieg & Cie” to simply “DMC”. Whilst this name was back peddled over the next few decades, in the 60s, the name remained simply as DMC.

1963

As the company merged, the labels had to change too. The logo was added onto the top banner, the DMC name was made much larger, the “Dollfus-Mieg & Cie” was removed and replaced with “Coton a Broderie” and the labels changed their color from dark blue to black (used in Thiriez & Cartier Bresson threads). If you’re using this guide to age your threads, be aware however that the printing process wasn’t the best, with many of these black labels now looking like a very dark blue instead; this is down to aging.
The range also expanded at this time, adding in numbers 3000+ (yes, this is why there is a MASSIVE gap between numbers) as well as many 700 to 900 threads which were renumbered to fit into the previous DMC range.

1968

In 1968, as modernisation of the factory was rolled out, a minor change in the font on the number label was added.

1973

In 1973 however, the DMC thread really started to look like the modern ones we know. In 1972 the first ever barcode was rolled out in the UK. Less than a year later, DMC had added it to their threads too. It originally used a standardised barcode across all of its threads (number 077540050857) and is a nice way to identify the age of threads (this barcode number was moved to DMC 310, so if it’s not 310, then its somewhere between 1973 and 1982).
It also added a dirty yellow color to the bottom banner, the number was moved back to perpendicular to the skein (not seen since 1953) with a small line under it (note that not all threads of this age have the line; we don’t know what it stands for).

1973 to 1982

Between the years of 1973 and 1982, the barcodes were updated to each thread having its own code. The bottom wraps also gained a plastic coating. The top wraps remained paper only.

1982

In 1982, the next update came, with a simple change in the design of the bottom wrap. The ugly yellow was gone, replaced with crisp white, and gold banners were added around the edge.
Full stops were added after some numbers (not all), the plastic was now much thicker on the bottom labels, and the top labels were also plastic.

2000

In the millennium, DMC went with a temporary change, with all threads made between 1999, and 2000 using a new design. The top label was changed to a bright blue (not as bright as the 1960s labels) with a gold bow and banner.
Despite being a temporary thread, you can find many of these as people kept them as souvenirs or collectibles.

2002 (Modern DMC Threads)

Finally, in 2002, DMC moved to the design we now know. With fully plastic top and bottom wraps, the top wrap remained mostly unchanged, but did drop the “Coton a Broderie”. The bottom wrap went half black, and half light yellow (a throwback to its dirty yellow design back in 1973), and the gold banners were lost.

2022

It took over 20 years for another change to come to DMC thread labels, and it’s so subtle, that most people don’t know it happened.
The bottom banner gained two black bars around the number.
In this period, DMC also tried out adding a small strip on the top label that would go through the whole in the skein, but was quickly abandoned!

2024

The most recent change comes from late 2024. and mostly features some small changes.
On the bottom label, we see a slightly different font used for the numbers, slightly thinner. Oddly, the barcode font is slightly thicker now, but otherwise unchanged.
And finally, the biggest change this year was the logo on the top banner. The horse head moves above the M, no longer cradled within it. Small dots can be seen between each of the DMC letters, reflecting the newer 2024 DMC branding.

Its worth noting that these changes were made only on the standard Mouliné Spécial threads, with other threads, such as Coloris, Variations, Satin and Light Effects not changing. Mouliné Étoile changed sometime in 2025, so we do expect the whole series to update as time goes on.

 
 
It’s amazing to see how DMC thread has kept up with the times, going from Art Nouveau elegance to Midcentury chic to modern. But their vintage throwback labels let us stitchers know they treasure their 120-year history.
But what does the future hold for DMC labels? We suspect with more brands looking to be environmentally friendly, DMC may change back to paper wraps, and drop its gold in the top labels (we’re already seeing this in its non-standard 6-strand threads). However, as long as DMC keeps up the great quality, we’ll be interested in seeing the changes!

Happy stitching!
Lord Libidan
 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make new DMC threads look vintage?

Due to the colorfast nature of DMC threads, there is no easy way to make threads look vintage. However using the Ecovita range of threads which have less vibrant colors, you can make your work look vintage.

What methods are safe for aging embroidery floss?

Using a very light bleach on embroidery threads in a solution with water can age the threads slightly, but this is against the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Does aging thread change how it stitches?

The age of cross stitch thread does not impact how threads stitch, but if the threads have been poorly stored, they can become more brittle than newer threads.