White or Antique White

White, or Antique White? Aye, there’s the rub!

All quotes aside, it’s the eternal question, isn’t it? It’s not always an easy decision to make because the best choice varies from pattern to pattern. But there are some universal truths about either colour. Let’s start with their DMC colour matches:

• White – DMC: BLANC
• Antique White – DMC: 3865

Let’s compare the two fabrics:

• White is quite bright and tends to make the flosses used on it also bright.  Zweigart brand White fabric doesn’t tend to be too overpowering but it will still bring up the colours of brighter and darker flosses stitched on it very nicely

Antique White is quieter in colour than the White and will tend to slightly subdue the colours stitched on it because of that softer quality to the colour. The contrast with bright or dark colours will be less.

• White is much better for high contrast stitching, because, as previously stated, the white brings out the brightness in the floss

Antique White is better for low contrast stitching because, as I said, the fabric will subdue the colours in the floss

So, for a bright, bold, high-contrast look, go with White, or for a softer, more mellow look, the Antique White would be a good choice.

The White and Antique White don’t vary much from count to count, so 11 Count Aida all the way to 32 Count Linen will still have the same DMC colour matches. (As opposed to, say Navy, which is quite different from count to count)

Try them for your project!