How and Why to Convert to
Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread
There are
two main reasons for using Flower Thread. One, the soft matte colors
made to resemble natural dyes and two, the thickness of the thread
which equals two strands of six-strand floss.
The colors were originally dyed by
the Danish master dyer, Einar Hansen. In the Museum of Applied Arts in
Copenhagen there is a series of folios by Einar Hansen in which he has
pressed and mounted those plants which made the natural dyes used in
the 1800's by Danish peasants. Beside each pressed plant is a wool sample
showing the color of the natural dye. These colors were the basis for
the chemically dyed cotton thread we call Flower Thread. The name reflects
the infuence of Gerda Bengtsson (1900-1996), a Danish designer who is
best known for her beautiful flower designs. Miss Bengtsson was trained
as a weaver as well as an artist, and was experienced as a dyer.
Another artist and a contemporary of Gerda Bengtsson and Einar Hansen was Else Johnsen, who sought textural uniformity in counted cross stitch embroidery by using the same thickness
of basic thread for the background fabric and the embroidery thread. As devotees of Flower Thread know, this similarity of thickness gives a very special look to pieces worked on linen of a thickness
equal to a single strand of Flower Thread (26-30ct.) or linen of a thickness equal to two Flower Thread strands (18-20 ct.).
Ginnie and
Ken Thompson introduced Danish Flower Thread to the American market
in the mid-1980's. When the demand for the thread exceeded the production
capacity of the Danish Handcraft Guild, they introduced Ginnie Thompson
Flower Thread®,
with redesigned packaging, color numbering and a broader color range,
as a substitute to meet market demands. The Flower Thread Company is
presently operated by their daughter, Meg Shinall.
In choosing colors the first determination is HUE (red, green, grey, brown, etc.). The second determination and the more important decision is VALUE which only means the lightness
or darkness of the hue. Mistakes in hue are less serious than errors in value.
When no equivalent color is available in converting from DMC to Flower Thread, consider using the DMC color. Danish designers sometimes purposely mix two brands, especially where shine is desired.
Click here to convert Danish Flower Thread to Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread.
Click here to convert DMC Flower Thread to Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread.
DMC Floss to Ginnie Thompson Flower Thread
DMC/GTFT
white/150
ecru/100
208/635
209/630
210/630
211/630
221/250
223/235
224/615
225/200
300/250
301/750
304/296
307/330
309/285
310/900
311/555
312/535
315/620
316/610
317/830
318/810
319/421
320/454
321/296
322/545
326/285
327/635
333/640
334/530
335/293
336/555
340/660
341/660
347/370
349/370
350/293
351/360
352/360
353/210
355/250
356/225
367/451
368/418
369/415 |
DMC/GTFT
370/735
371/705
372/400
400/750
402/210
407/220
413/830
414/830
415/800
420/715
422/740
433/750
434/750
435/745
436/740
437/740
444/340
445/330
451/830
452/810
453/800
469/409
470/412
471/448
472/430
498/370
500/421
501/460
502/418
503/457
504/457
517/550
518/550
519/505
520/470
522/412
523/457
524/466
535/830
543/200
550/635
552/635
553/635
554/610
561/520 |
DMC/GTFT
562/424
563/415
564/415
580/412
581/412
597/505
598/505
600/290
601/265
602/265
603/265
604/275
605/260
606/355
608/355
610/715
611/466
612/720
613/700
632/750
640/705
642/705
644/705
645/830
646/810
647/810
648/810
666/296
676/300
677/335
680/740
699/515
700/427
701/436
702/436
703/442
704/439
712/100
718/265
720/365
721/360
722/360
725/310
726/340
727/325 |
DMC/GTFT
729/740
730/406
731/406
732/406
733/403
734/403
738/215
739/300
740/345
741/345
742/345
743/340
744/335
745/335
746/100
747/505
754/205
758/208
760/208
761/208
762/800
772/415
775/505
776/260
778/610
780/745
781/745
782/740
783/740
791/665
792/665
793/660
794/660
796/535
797/535
798/535
799/530
800/525
801/725
806/510
807/510
809/530
813/530
814/250
815/370 |
DMC/GTFT
816/370
817/370
818/260
819/200
820/535
822/100
823/555
824/535
825/535
826/550
827/525
828/505
829/715
830/715
831/735
832/735
833/320
834/315
838/725
839/725
840/720
841/720
842/700
844/830
869/715
890/463
891/355
892/293
893/293
894/275
895/460
898/725
899/275
900/355
902/250
904/451
906/433
905/445
907/433
909/515
910/515
911/515
912/424
913/424
915/290 |
DMC/GTFT
917/290
918/245
919/365
920/365
921/365
922/360
924/421
926/565
927/805
928/800
930/575
931/570
932/565
934/420
935/470
936/409
937/412
938/725
939/540
943/515
945/200
946/355
947/355
948/200
950/205
951/200
954/415
955/415
956/293
957/275
958/515
959/505
961/293
962/275
963/260
964/415
966/415
970/355
971/345
972/340
973/330
975/745
976/350
977/345
986/451 |
DMC/GTFT
987/454
988/454
989/439
991/520
992/424
993/424
995/510
996/510
3011/406
3012/406
3013/400
3021/725
3022/810
3023/810
3024/800
3031/725
3032/705
3033/700
3041/605
3042/605
3045/735
3046/400
3047/305
3051/470
3052/466
3053/466
3064/240
3072/800
3078/325
3325/525
3326/275
3328/285
3340/355
3341/360
3345/451
3346/445
3347/454
3348/439
3350/290
3354/260
3362/451
3363/454
3364/448
3371/725
3607/265 |
DMC/GTFT
3608/610
3609/610
3685/250
3687/265
3688/615
3689/260
3705/293
3706/275
3708/275
3712/280
3713/260
3716/275
3721/245
3722/285
3726/235
3727/610
3731/293
3733/275
3740/640
3743/630
3746/640
3747/660
3750/555
3752/525
3753/565
3755/530
3756/525
3760/550
3761/525
3765/550
3766/505
3768/460
3770/200
3772/220
3773/240
3774/205
3776/210
3777/250
3778/210
3779/208
3781/715
3782/700
3787/830
3790/830
3799/840 |
