Welcome back to Moda Mondays, a super fun series designed to showcase a stunning lineup of thread collections by our treasured Moda Designers! Check in here every Monday to learn more!
Manderley, by Franny & Jane (Frances Newcombe and Jane Davidson) for Moda is a unique collection of ocean and mansion inspired fabrics. The collection was born out of the desire to tell a story, something that the two designers did from across the globe with Frances in California and Jane in Australia!
The complementary thread collection, Everyday Escape, is a range of 50wt thread in sweet coordinating colors. Though the colors were selected to coordinate with Manderley, they represent an extremeely versatile palette — all the colors needed for an ‘everyday sewing escape!’
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Everyday Escape
12 Large Spools, 50wt (1422yds/spool), 100% Aurifil Cotton
2780 – 1320 – 2805 – 5017 – 2110 – 2311
5002 – 2530 – 2610 – 2600 – 4060 – 2021
THE INTERVIEW
Do you remember the process of making your first quilt and how you felt once it was complete?
Fran: Yes! I love appliqué, because I was an illustration major, so it was like illustrating with fabric! I went crazy when I made my first quilt with simple folk snowmen using the fusible appliqué technique.
Jane: I do. I went to a class when I was 19 and drew my own pattern, made templates, hand cut, hand sewed and quilted a queen sized quilt. I felt inspired and it ignited a passion for quilting that remains with me still.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
Fran: Painting and textiles.
Jane: Nature and social media. I draw so much design inspiration from the beautiful flora and fauna and the landscapes that surround me.
How did you first connect with each other and what do you love most about working together? How did the Franny & Jane collections come to be?
Fran: Jane and I met at Quilt Market in 2014, Jane called me a “soul sister.” I somehow knew intuitively that we were meant to work together.
Jane: Franny and Jane started as a conversation about fabric design. We sort of went from there and Manderley was created.
What drew you to Moda and what do you love most about working with them?
Fran: There is a wonderful timelessness connected to Moda and their fabrics… a sweetness to the fabrics and products that I think brings joy to the world. Also an excellence to their design and products. I have dreamed of working with them since I fell in love with fabric design.
Jane: Moda has always been a part of my quilting journey. I feel so welcome in the Moda family. I love their diversity of fabrics and the new and wonderful colours and prints that appear each season.
What inspired Manderley?
Fran: Manderley is based on the movie and book “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier. Jane and I loved the first screen and quote from the film…
“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
There is something beautiful about driving up to a mansion near the sea. So we wanted to explore that time period of elegant fantasy and some of the Asian textiles of the 1940s…
A beautiful country estate near the sea: secret gardens and passages filled with treasures; a trove of blooms featuring Honeysuckle and Jasmine; a decorative style with an Oriental-inspired twist. Journey into a world of seashells and delicate motives, fresh colors that will excite any quilter.
Read more about the story of Manderley here.
Do you have a favorite project or favorite projects made with the collection?
Fran: I would say one of my favorite quilts that Jane designed was “Enchanted Garden” and I love the quilt we designed together, “Baltimore by the Sea.”
Jane: It is hard to choose a favourite. I designed and made 9 quilts for market last year but I must admit I have a soft spot for Enchanted Garden and Double Crossed. (see attached photos)
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
Fran: I first discovered Aurifil in 2010. The colors are gorgeous and they are like butter to sew with. I feel like I have something luxurious on my machine when I have a spool.
Jane: I fell in love with Aurifil thread when I started long arming in 2011. It gave an elegance to my quilts with its silky appearance. I have an extensive colour and weight range to finish my projects from fine appliqué threads (80wt) to embroidery floss.
Do you have a favorite color/weight and why?
Fran: 5021 in 50wt. I love this neutral grey it goes with any color fabric and blends beautifully for piecing!
Jane: What can I say…”I’m in love with Dove”. I find I use 50wt 2026 for so many projects. It blends with so many fabrics.
How did you go about selecting threads for your Aurifil Everyday Escapes collection?
Jane: Using the collection of spools I have in my quilting room, I laid the thread across the prints to see which matched or blended with the fabric colours and designs of Manderley. I took in consideration colours that could be used everyday. The thread collection contains many neutrals, including a soft, grey variegated thread. 50wt threads are perfect for piecing and I love the subtly of the 50wt when I quilt.
Where can we find you this year?
We are busy designing and creating constantly, I think it is in our blood, and we both have different skills that work together. Jane has worked so hard releasing her new book with Pat Sloan “The Splendid Sampler” and I am working on my illustration and design portfolio.
What’s next for Franny & Jane?
Bloomsbury, our next collection with Moda! It is inspired by the Bloomsbury group in London, which merges today’s modernism with the past influence of the Bloomsbury’s aesthetic in design, art, literature and textiles.
THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win 1 Large Everyday Escape Thread Collection and one Layer Cake of Manderley by Franny & Jane for Moda, click here to head to the Rafflecopter entry page, or simply click on the image above. You do not have to complete all the options to be entered but the more options you choose, the more entries you have! Entries will be accepted from now through 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, April 30! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Monday, May 1. Good luck!
Update: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Laura Parsons!
ABOUT FRANNY & JANE
Frances Newcombe (left)
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Frances graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1988 with a BFA in illustration. After college, she returned to her native Los Angeles, and began working in Broadcast Design for television. For over twenty years she has created on-air graphics, promos, and main titles for every major network including CBS, ABC and NBC, where she currently works freelance, as well as the Discovery Channel, TLC, E! Entertainment, and Buena Vista Television.
Her first love, however, is sewing, particularly quilting, and in the last several years she has devoted much of her time to various sewing projects and fabric design. She lives in California with her husband John and son Jonah.
Jane Davidson (right)
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Jane started quilting over 20 years ago by designing and hand piecing a queen sized quilt. Caught up in study and travel, it was not until 2010 did she rekindle her passion for quilting again.
“I love everything about quilting and the quilting industry. I am so inspired by the enthusiasm and creativity I see everyday.” A scientist at heart, Jane loves the engineering behind the quilt making process, the planning, the fabric selection, the designing and construction, and of course the quilting. She is always ready to challenge her skills when designing a new block or quilt.
These days you can find Jane in her studio running a professional long-arm quilting service, teaching, designing and planning her next publication.
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