Ricky and Alex meet MJ Kinman. A corporate job at a Fortune 100 company kept her busy, but it was quilting that tugged at her heart. In1991, an advertising mailer featuring a gem captured her imagination. She wanted to see if it was possible to create a gem using fabrics.
MJ has designed a freezer paper technique pattern based on the 12 birth-month gem stones. Colorway fabric kits make fabric selection easy for those just dipping their toe in the water. The pattern has numbering and registration marks for building the quilt. A big puzzle, MJ suggests working one section at a time, to avoid getting lost in the process. She also shares tips to avoid sewing through your paper pattern as well as tackling that ever tricky set in seam. Then it's time to see examples of gems that include different color combinations.
In order to replicate the colors and fire in gemstones, MJ had to learn how to paint her own fabrics. She shows Ricky how fun and easy it is to paint your own cotton sateen fabric temporarily stapled to a stretcher bars. After discussing tools, it's on to adding paint to create blending and movement of color (the perfect fabric for gemstones).
We wrap up the show with a Tour of the Iowa Quilt Museum. Iowa Quilt Museum Director, Megan Barrett, shares the history of this gem in Winterset, IA, that opened its doors in May 2016.
A quilter for 30 years, it wasn’t until MJ Kinman quit her day job, that she began to take herself and her art seriously. Here Alex and Ricky get to know MJ and take a look at her quilts featuring birthstone gems.
MJ has designed a freezer paper technique pattern based on the 12 birth-month gem stones and shares it with Alex.
In order to replicate the colors and fire in gemstones, MJ had to learn how to paint her own fabrics. She shows Ricky how fun and easy it is to paint your own cotton sateen fabric.
Iowa Quilt Museum Director, Megan Barrett, takes us on a tour and shares the history of this gem in Winterset, IA that opened its doors in May 2016.
Patterns for the Birthstone Blocks can be purchased in our store here: http://store.thequiltshow.com/Birthstone-Series-Quilt-Block-Patterns-s/547.htm
where can we get that pattern ?
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