It’s time for another thread review! As you guys know, I like trying out all sorts of different thread brands out there. There’s a few thread reviews here on the blog already, but today I’ll be checking out DMC’s Mouliné Étoile line.

I am definitely always looking for metallic thread options. It can add such a cool effect to any project. However, if you’ve ever worked with DMC Light Effects you know it can be absolutely horrible to cross stitch with.

Well, back in 2018, DMC came out with a NEW line of metallics — Mouliné Étoile. Not wanting to splurge on the full tin of 35 colors, I waited until singles hit stores and bought a handful of my favorite colors from Michaels and then promptly put them away and never used them. Whoops. Let’s fix that now!

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Where to buy Mouliné Étoile

Since it’s a DMC line, it’s pretty easy to find anywhere that sells the normal DMC cotton threads. Whether that be directly from the DMC site, through big retailers like Michaels or Amazon, or your local needlework shop.

If you’re not in the US, there are sorts of stores all over the world that carry DMC products, so check out my list of worldwide resources for some suggestions.

Comparing to standard DMC thread

Whether you buy the tin or just pick out the individual colors you like, one thing you might notice is that the numbers all line up with existing DMC colors! This makes it quite easy to substitute colors in a pattern. The only difference being that the colors start with C. What the C stands for is anyone’s guess, however

This also makes it easy for me to compare them to their standard counterparts! Looking at them side by side like this you can see that the Mouliné Étoile does appear a little darker at a glance, due to the metallic filament woven throughout.

You can also see that the Étoile is a little… err… “fluffier”. Though not nearly as fluffy as the DMC Glow in the Dark, thankfully. This is due to its unique 73% cotton and 27% lurex composition.

Overall, the colors are a pretty close match. And it’s really difficult to take photos of the shininess, but they are indeed quite sparkly in person!

The metallic filament woven into each strand is dyed to match. They actually shine in their respective colors instead of all having a silver sheen, which is nice.

The thread feels soft to the touch, and they have the same six strands you’re used to with DMC. They separate quite easily, making it actually easier to pull out 2-3 strands to stitch with than their standard DMC counterparts. But how does it feel to cross stitch with?

Stitching with Mouliné Étoile

This is what you’re all here for, right? (Well, some of you are just here for the pattern, but I’ll link to that later. No worries!)

Regardless, let’s do some stitching and see how it goes. For my test, I’ll be stitching on basic 14 count white aida, using 2 strands of thread.

After a few initial stitches, I will say that this is going down a LOT nicer than the Light Effects line. It slides through pretty smoothly.

While the two individual lengths do not like to stay together… once you’ve pulled through the fabric, they do lay into place easily enough.

I’m not railroading or otherwise guiding the thread, so the filament doesn’t always end up on top — and that’s fine for me, as it gives the sparkle more of a randomness which I like.

The Blanc is a bit more of a light gray than a true white, but it does not look out of place next to all the other Étoile. If you’re substituting just the white on a project though, it may not look quite right. Getting a Kreinik blending filament and mixing it with the standard DMC white will give you a brighter finish.

The black is a bit lighter coverage, as is generally expected of DMC 310. If you prefer heavy coverage, you may want to go up to 3 strands. I do love the subtle dark shimmer it gives off though!

Side by Side Comparison

Unfortunately, when I picked up these threads over two years ago, I didn’t have a specific design in mind. So when putting this pattern together, I needed a darker yellow. Or an orange.

Recently I was putting in a fabric order and thought to add C740 to my cart, but.. uh..

I did find it in stock elsewhere, but they were out of the fabric I wanted. I didn’t want to pay shipping for just one skein. Sooooo I resigned myself to just cross stitch the rest with the standard six-strand cotton.

It’s a totally-on-purpose side by side comparison. Yep!

Somehow, the DMC cotton looks almost shinier than usual when placed next to all this Étoile. It’s a pretty neat effect and doesn’t look out of place at all.

Coverage for the two types of thread does seem about equal, despite how fluffy the Étoile looks in skein form.

DO NOT IRON YOUR FINISHED PIECE

I’ve mentioned this before in other thread reviews, but be very careful ironing specialty threads. You don’t want to iron metallic filament directly. If it’s plastic based it can easily melt. Or stick to your iron.

If you have to iron it, be sure to cover it with a cloth first.

Photographing Mouliné Étoile

Metallic thread in general is difficult to photograph. Sparkle just really doesn’t translate well to 2D images. If you’re trying to show it off online, it’s best to take a video or gif of it.

That said, tilting it or having your camera be slightly out of focus does seem to help capture the shine a bit better.

Full Set

Since I wrote this article I have picked up the full set, including that orange! So if you were curious what all colors are available in this thread, they take up the first two columns of my DMC Light Effects box:

Final thoughts

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised at how easy this line of threads was to work with. I’ll probably end up picking up the colors I’m missing at some point, just to complete the set. I’m not sure what I’ll use them for, but if you have any ideas for designs that would benefit from a bit of sparkle, let me know!

Free Pattern

Speaking of patterns — I suppose some of you are interested in stitching up this Rainbow Chalice for yourself!

If you came to this blog post from Patreon — you’ve probably already downloaded the pattern! It was included in the post letting my $1 Patreons get early access to this post.

But it’s now public and available for anyone to download the pattern for free directly from my Patreon post.

Since all the color numbers are the same whether you’re using Mouliné Étoile or standard DMC cotton, feel free to stitch it whether you want to it to be sparkly or not. 😉 And be sure to tag me on social media so I can see!