Orleans by Jan Shore

What's it like to have two fabric designers in the family? We're lucky enough to have a husband and wife duo designing fabric for us! Earlier this week, we showed you Jim Shore's new collection, Awaken the Day. Today we're sharing Jan Shore's Orleans collection. Quilting is in Jan's blood, and she's created a gorgeous French provincial fabric line inspired by 19th century prints. Keep reading to meet Jan and learn more about her fabric. 

Orleans

Do you come from a family of quilters?

Fabric is in my blood. My Mother was a masterful seamstress, as was my Grandmother. Mom taught me to sew, in fact, I don’t recollect a time when I didn’t sew! We saved every scrap of material that was left over, and those became quilts. My Mom and Grandmother always made quilts. They were made for warmth. I started making quilts because they were making them. What else was I going to do? My Mom and I were always together working on project. Their interest, were my interest. My Mom was my best friend, and we sewed!

How did you get into fabric design?

I have been collecting antique fabrics for years, and that led me to collecting old books from factories. This is how I came to design. Seeing the amazing fabrics that were done in the early 1800’s, I thought design would be a great way to show those fabrics and update them for use today.

Do you and Jim influence each other’s fabric design?

Jim and I both are very influenced by quilts. We have a huge collection. Jim uses quilt patterning in his designs and I design so that the fabrics are great for quilts.

What inspired you to do a French provincial collection?

I love French fabrics and I love color. You can use lots of color or just simple blues, whites, and yellows. So taking the old designs I collected, changing the colors, and rearranging the patterns was a natural progression for me.

How does your design process work?

I usually start with a focal design and see where it goes from there. Sometime I will take just one pattern and pull everything from that. But there are times when I just feel like some designs just look right together. I am always trying to make sure that the designs are right for quilters. Which, ideally, would mean that there aren’t any scraps left over!

What do you like best about designing fabrics?

Bringing old fabrics up to date! Working thru the colors and patterning is very satisfying.

Click here to see the entire Orleans collection.

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