MJ Kinman

MJ Kinman’s passion is creating quilts inspired by beautiful gems. The key is freezer paper, that wonderful product that adheres to fabric when ironed.

MJ’s work has been exhibited at the National Quilt Museum, the International Quilt Museum, the New England Quilt Museum, Quilt Festival (Houston, TX), Quilt Week (Paducah, KY), and Festival of Quilts (Birmingham, UK). Most recently, MJ’s piece “Torch Song” was exhibited at the Art Quilt Elements 2024 Biennial (Wayne, PA), where she received the Cindy Friedman Master Award for Excellence.

Her work is included in collections as varied as Maker’s Mark Distillery, the National Quilt Museum, the International Quilt Museum, and private collections.

MJ’s Birthstone Series patterns feature traditional birthstone gems, and her Diamond Divas Series offer large, artistic quilts easily customizable by makers. Her first book, Gemstone Quilts, was released by C&T Publishing in 2020. Her second book, Crack the Color Code: Add Drama to Your Designs Using the Secrets of Color Interaction, was released in 2025.