A month ago we gave reasons why you need a DMC color card and since then we’ve received a lot of emails and comments about how to use one properly. There can be quite a knack to it, but once you get it, it’s super simple!
Understanding color runs
The biggest thing to get your head around on a color card is the color runs (sometimes called color families). In the example below, you can see 20 rows of colors; these are the basic color runs, split from red to grey, and everything in between.
However, in addition to these rows are smaller runs. Below we’ve broken out the smaller color runs within row 1 of the DMC color card; red. In it, we can see each color run goes from light to dark, however each smaller run changes in color slightly too. The first run is more pinky, the second more Christmas red, the third blood red, and the last dark red. Now; here’s the biggest tip I can give you; never choose colors from more than one run. If you pick colors, you need to choose colors from the same run. And that’s it!
How to find a color by its number
Let’s say you want to look up a thread. Due to the way the color card is set up, in color runs, the numbers are all out of order. So you have to look at the table in the back to check the row. In the image below er can see thread 3840 is on row 6.
Other information on a thread card
There’s actually a whole wealth of other information on color cards too, which can be super helpful if you want to know it; however, it’s only on a need to know basis. If you don’t care; you can easily ignore it!
Thread Types
The first of these is the types the threads are sold in. For example, on the image below we can see that the new DMC threads 14, 15 & 16 come in ‘117’ only. This is the basic 6 strand floss you stitch with normally, however, 704 and 703 come in a whole range of other types, like pearl cotton.
Speciality threads
Then you have specialty threads. Unlike the standard threads, these aren’t arranged in color runs but are instead just shown in number order. It allows you to see what makes up a variegated thread, or what the metallics look like.
Dots on DMC labels
We’ve written about the purpose of those dots on DMC labels and the dots are also in the shade book, meaning you know which threads are which.
Care information
Finally, on the back page are care instructions. These are pretty standard for most threads at the moment, but these are a great tool to refer to if you have a stubborn cross stitch stain you can’t get out and need to know how to give them a good wash.
I’m not clear on your statement ” Never choose colours from more than one run. If you pick colours, you need to choose colours from the same run”. Do you mean you wouldn’t mix colours from the small runs with each other? In your example, does that mean you would not have 3832 in the same palette as 3713? Also, how do you used the colour card to choose a palette of the same tones? For example, if you’re trying to choose an all-muted floral palette, can you use the card to choose a purple and then a green in the same intensity or tone?
Correct! 3832 is not just darker than 3713, but is more pink. 3713 has a lot of peachy bubblegum coloring, but 3832 is more of a maroony red. Therefore, if you were to use these together, they would look striking against each other, and not just a lighter and darker color.
As for picking a palette, thats much harder, but still possible. If you look at the color card there are normally 4 runs of colors in each column (sometimes 5). Each of these runs match up with the corresponding run in a different column. So to use your example, if you picked purple 340, which is in the third color run of column 5, you could pick one the same colors from column 10 color run 3 (989 for example) for green.