Firstly, Trish Burr did a magnificent comparison of DMC vs Anchor stranded cotton (behaviour, colour ranges available, colour fastness and more) at http://trishburr.com/2011/05/11/threads-for-needle-painting-embroidery/

She also talks about why DMC/Anchor thread is the best thread for needlepainting.

I could imagine a few people will be looking for an Anchor stranded thread colour card, after her review of them. I am! I have almost entirely DMC in my collection, but if Anchor has more muted colours, suited to historical embroidery......

I've just read on ThreadNeedleStreet at http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/prodbody.htm that the card is being re-formatted and not currently available. So anyone buying one now (I've seen one on-line for $40) will be buying an *old* card. I don't know if they have new colours to include, or if it's just a re-design or what, but I thought I'd let you know.

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The Textile Blog has a fascinating and thorough review of Church Embroidery, Ancient and Modern by Anastasia Marice Dolby, published in 1867 at http://thetextileblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/embroidered-altar-cloths-of-1860s.html

Here's the first two paragraphs of the review.....

"In 1867, Anastasia Marice Dolby published Church Embroidery, Ancient and Modern. The book was produced as a practical and technical guide for the use of embroidery for ecclesiastical furnishings. Although certainly pitched at an amateur audience, she did have professional help and reference guides from a number of individuals including Daniel Rock the English antiquarian and ecclesiologist who had a specific interest in church history and a practical approach to church functions such as the Mass. She is known to have used his Hierurgia or the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which he originally published in 1833.

Dolby also considered herself to be a professional, rather than an embroiderer of leisure, a section of society to which the book was largely aimed. She had been a court embroiderer and termed herself 'late embroideress to the Queen.' In this respect, she felt that she had the connections, professionalism and the skills base to produce a confident book concerned with the correct approach to ecclesiastical embroidery.

The book itself while not giving detailed plans and pattern work as such, is largely a practical guide to church embroidery…….."

There is also a long list of fascinating live links (to Amazon books, tho I haven't checked them all) at the end of the review.