Q&A: TRACY MOONEY

Senior Editor and Kitten Wrangler at
Generation Q Magazine, Roving Reporter at
The Quilt Show, Author at SewSupportive.com

 

eInsider first met the lovely and quick-witted Tracy Mooney during her first Quilt Market as a writer for the then recently launched Generation Q Magazine. Since that time, she’s moved from book reviewer for the magazine to its Senior Editor, and recently announced that she’ll be taking on the role of Roving Reporter for The Quilt Show, as well.

 

In between writing for GenQ and teaching kids across the country to sew (more on that part in our interview below), Mooney has dealt with an autoimmune-related health issue that has the potential to slow her creativity…and her mad sewing skills. But she’s faced the challenge head-on, finding ways to work around it through the help of particular sewing techniques and products.

 

In the hope of sharing her experiences (and aforementioned techniques and products) with other sewists and quilters experiencing health issues, she has launched a new website, SewSupportive.com.

 

For this edition of eInsider, we spoke with Mooney about the many hats she wears—including that of “Kitten Wrangler”—and her latest ventures in the quilting community.

 

 

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eINSIDER: Before we get into your recent news, please tell our readers a bit about your background.

 

MOONEY: Let’s see… I have lived all over the place! I grew up in New Jersey, went to college in Boston and lived there for 13 years, lived in Los Angeles for four years, and now I am in the Chicago area.

 

I started quilting about 24 years ago, and through all of the moves, quilting has been a source of comfort and friendship. My nearest quilt shop was always an early destination to get the lay of the quilting landscape in my new town.

 

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eINSIDER: You are Senior Editor (and Kitten Wrangler…we need more info on that!) at Generation Q Magazine, and have been an integral part of helping to grow the magazine. What is your favorite part of that job? And your least favorite part?

 

MOONEY: In May of 2012, Generation Q Magazine was launching their first print edition, exhibiting for the first time at Quilt Market, and needed help with their booth. Jake Finch (Publisher) and I were online friends, and she knew I was looking work, so she invited me to come to Market, suggesting I bring some resumes and network. Within 24 hours of meeting Jake (finally in person!) and Melissa Thompson Maher, the editor in chief of GenQ, I was offered a job. They asked me to start with book reviews—a perfect job for me! I am a quilting book addict.

 

By the end of Market, we came up with the idea for We Sew 2, a feature in GenQ where I design a project that is specifically intended for kids to sew. That is how I got the title “kitten wrangler.” Our first participants were staff kids, but I now have kids, between the ages of 5 and 16, around the country that participate in We Sew 2. One constant has been my daughter Cydney, who is now 12.

 

I was promoted to Senior Editor this year—that was pretty exciting! I also became a BERNINA Ambassador last year, which is equally exciting. It’s intimidating to be amongst a group of amazing quilters who regularly win top awards for their quilts. But I am coming to realize that I have just as much to offer to the quilting community—my contributions are just a little different.

 

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eINSIDER: The Quilt Show recently announced that you'll be joining them as a roving reporter. What kind of content can we expect to see from you in this role? And does this satisfy a bit of a dream for you, given your background in acting?

 

MOONEY: It has been my dream since the mid-‘90s to work on a quilt show. I went to a performing arts high school and studied acting in college. I did commercials and videos, and am a member of the Screen Actors Guild. So, it is wonderful to be using the knowledge that I learned in school and was trained to do professionally in this capacity, especially within the quilting world. That makes it even more exciting I think.

 

The door is open for me to pitch to The Quilt Show whatever I want to share. They have a need for studio tours, so I begin with those quilters and sewists in the Chicago area. I will definitely cover International Quilt Festival in Chicago this spring, and I hope to do some tutorials as well. After that, I am not sure. Perhaps the audience will let me know what they want to see!

 

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eINSIDER: As anyone who follows you online and through GenQ knows, you're also mom to three pretty awesome and—it seems—very creative kiddos. Does this make the case for creativity as a genetic trait, or have you encouraged them to pursue creative interests?

 

MOONEY: Good question! One could make arguments for both.

 

My husband and I both are creative. My husband painted in high school, acted, studied lighting design in college, and worked within the field after graduating in theater and music venues professionally. His brother is creative too. My brother is a fine artist, and my sister is an amazing garment maker and is incredibly creative. My father was an architect and worked on the design of the World Trade Center – so I can definitely make the argument for genetics.

 

Photo Right: Tracy teaching daughter Cydney to sew.

 

When my youngest was two, I remember watching her pick up a stick in a park and “paint” a tree by dipping the stick in a puddle. I remember the moment vividly because she was just a baby, and here she looked like a fine artist painting a canvas. How does a child that young instinctively know how to paint if it is not genetic?

 

However, I also think that because of our creative background, we encouraged our kids to be creative as well. My oldest children are boys and they both sew and write and draw. They both go to culinary school. Zach is studying to become a sommelier and cicerone (or master of wine and beer). He brews beer and works under master brewers in a small craft brewery. Bryce goes to the CIA, the Culinary Institute of America, and will be one of those chefs whose name you know. They plan to own a restaurant together. Both very creative.

 

Now, if my kids hadn’t grown up in a home where creative play was encouraged, would they be as creative? I don’t know.

 

I think this relates to the quilting community: I appreciate the importance of encouraging the love of fabric in order to keep the hobby growing, but I think I may have slightly different opinions on how to encourage that fiber addiction. I feel little kids want to try what we love—they see us sewing so it’s natural for them to want to play too. But their attention span is not as long as ours, so it is not realistic to start them with a quilt even if they want to make one.

 

Photo Left: Tracy and daughter Cydney at Quilt Festival in Chicago.

 

Little kids can play in a scrap basket for hours. They love to sort buttons. I think those charm squares that we get at Market are perfect for making a “matching game” if there are two squares of each print. Give them a piece of felt and let them play with the fancy stitches on your machine. Small activities that encourage creativity and don’t necessarily need to be finished are perfect to allow them creative time. It lets them experience the tactile nature of the craft and lets their love grow. It’s a simple way to encourage them to follow creative pursuits.

 

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eINSIDER: Finally, you've recently launched a new website, Sew Supportive, through which you plan to spotlight the health benefits of sewing and tools and techniques that can enable someone to continue sewing even if they are dealing with health issues. Please tell us about the personal health issues and challenges that inspired you to create this blog, and what you hope to accomplish by sharing your story.

 

MOONEY: I have had arthritis for many years. In January of 2013, I woke up one morning and my fingers were swollen like sausages. The swelling would not go down for hours. This continued for a week, and let’s remember, I am a writer and I couldn’t type. In addition, I was thirsty all the time. I couldn’t ever quench my thirst. I knew something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

 

So I went to the doctor and she ordered blood work. Long story short, I had a positive ANA, which means I have an autoimmune disease. I followed up with a rheumatologist and was diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, which is a disorder related to Lupus that affects the moisture producing glands in the body. I experience joint swelling, fatigue, dry mouth, dry eyes, etc. and brain fog, to name a few of the symptoms.

 

I quickly realized that this not only affects my ability to write, it affects my sewing as well. When I feel sick, all I want to do is be creative. Unfortunately, I can’t easily cut fabric. Either I cut the fabric wrong because I have brain fog, or my hands can’t grip the rotary cutter and ruler properly. Products like my Sizzix Big Shot Pro made all the difference in the world to me!

 

So I pitched a story about sewing with health challenges to GenQ, and I did a product round up of 25 products that help you keep sewing. They ran the gamut from cutting products to products that help with your vision to wheelchair accessible sewing tables.

 

About a year passed, and while talking to the head of an embroidery company for another article, I mentioned how one of her products could be marketed as helping people who have arthritis. The light bulb went off for me. I realized that there isn’t a website dedicated to this audience. Quilting and sewing have huge health benefits, from lowering blood pressure to helping ward off dementia. When we are diagnosed with a debilitating health problem the last thing we want is to give up a hobby that brings us so much joy in addition to the health benefits!

 

I created Sew Supportive to not only inform the quilters that want to keep sewing, but to also help the companies realize this different marketing angle to their products. The website is brand new, but my plan is to share product reviews and tips. I also want to share stories with my readers about how individuals have overcome personal challenges to continue sewing.

 

The website is so new, but I am already overwhelmed by the response. So many quilters are looking for products that help them sew. I can’t wait to see where this takes me!

 

 

 

 

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