Program: MJ Kinman

MJ likes to say she makes the biggest diamonds in the world. But instead of using the hardest substances in the world, she uses the softest – fabric. The adventure started nearly 25 years ago when an image of a gem captured her imagination. As a new quiltmaker, she was unsure how to transform that image into a quilt but knew there had to be a way. MJ began searching for the right techniques and, seven years later, made her first gem quilt

MJ’s last series, entitled “Bourbon Diamonds” celebrates Kentucky’s favorite spirit. Her current series is based on the National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. MJ’s work has been exhibited in national competitions, galleries, and museums, including the National Quilt Museum and the International Quilt Museum. Her gems have been featured in Quiltfolk, Quilting Arts Magazine, McCall’s Quilting, France Patchwork, Patchwork Professional (Germany), Create Whimsy, Make Modern Magazine, and Online Quilting Magazine.

You may have seen MJ on Quilting Arts TV and The Quilt Show.com with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims over the past few years. Her work is included in private and corporate collections, including Maker’s Mark Distillery and the National Quilt Museum (Paducah, Kentucky).

MJ’s first pattern series, The Birthstone Series, is a collection of 12 blocks representing the traditional birthstone gems. Her latest series — the Diamond Divas Series — features large diamond quilt patterns. MJ is also a BERNINA Brand Ambassador and her first book, Gemstone Quilts, was released by C&T Publishing in 2020.

MJ is always delighted to share her techniques with students. Prior to moving her classes and trunk shows online during the pandemic, MJ taught throughout the United States and Canada. Most recently, she’s joined the team at Creative Spark (C&T Publishing’s online learning platform). You can also join MJ’s online community of gem-loving quiltmakers by becoming part of the Tiny Treasures Club or participate in her newest Block-of-the-Month club “Diamonds & Drama Queens”.

For more information, visit MJ’s website and social media sites:
– Website: www.MJKinman.com
– Facebook: www.Facebook.com/mjkinmantextileartist
– Instagram: www.Instagram.com/mjkinman_textileartist

Contact Information:
– Phone: 502-287-3034 (Eastern Time Zone)
– Email: MJkinman709@gmail.com
– Address: 709 Fairhill Drive, Louisville, KY 40207

November Lecture: “Gems & Joy”

The most beautiful gemstone captures light and reflects it back to us with unique brilliance, revealing its fiery personality. Every gem has a story to tell…just like people. This slide lecture and trunk show chronicle my own story – my 20-year adventure learning how to create the biggest diamonds in the world in cloth.

During my presentation, I’ll discuss how I’ve learned to spot gemstones with personality – the unique configuration of light and color that translate into a successful work of art. I’ll discuss my techniques to create and assemble the hundreds of pieces in each diamond, materials I use to create the wash of color and light across a gem’s surface, and the quilting techniques that enhance a gem’s facets. And, as so often happens with any artist’s decades-long journey, I’ll share insights gleaned from my walk away from the Corporate Life and into the Creative Life.

My conversation with lecture participants includes the following topics:

1. Selecting gemstones with “personality” – the unique configuration of light and color that translate into a successful work of art

2. My unique use of single-foundation piecing techniques, including the coding I’ve developed for color wash, placement, and adjacency

3. Techniques for painting fabric that provide my diamonds with depth of color and flow of light across the facets

4. Quilting techniques that enhance the diamond’s facets

5. Embracing the Creative Life