MQResource

This week's quilter in the spotlight is Tracye Quinlan, who has recently been dubbed "Princess Hick Chick" in our forums, in honor of the really cool quilt she created and showed at the Machine Quilters Showcase this past spring.  Tracye managed to make her quilt look like leather, and it's even cooler in person than a photograph can show.If you would like to leave a comment or ask a question, you can head on over to the forum (you do have to have a forum account). A post can be found here.

I’m married to Norlan, 11 yrs this August, with 2 fabulous kids, Tanner 6 and Tehya 4. We have 2-3 horses (long story, mom owes me one of her broodmares so for now we “share” her LOL). Aprox 1.5 dogs (also shared w/mom thingy on the others) 2 cats and “today” 6 gold fish, but that could change by the time this comes out as they die like flies. 

There are 5-6 other horses, 2-3 other dogs and 9 surviving goats (from the fires that killed the rest of our herd) that belong to my Mom but live among us and ours.
My mom, grandma, and my family all live in our own homes on the same 160 acre property. 

MQR: Where do you call home?

We live outside of the town of Florence Colorado. Florence is between Pueblo and Canon City off of hwy 50 in the south central part of the state.

I’ve been quilting since 1999, and longarming since 2004.
In 1999 I lived on a 1000 acre alfalfa hay farm in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, 1 hour southeast of Alamosa, and worked 4 /10 hour days as a 911/State patrol dispatcher in Alamosa. This meant I had 3 days off every week. In the fall of that year my DH went to California for a month, starting up the business he now has, and I needed something to do for those 3 days alone in the middle of nowhere. Since I’m allergic to doing too much housework I went to Walmart and checked out the crafts section (that no longer exists in the same form). I’d taught myself to crochet and everyone I knew already had an afghan so I thought it time to learn something else. I bought a book on Knitting, and one on quilting called Make A Log Cabin Quilt In A Weekend by Marti Michell. I couldn’t figure out the knitting book but the quilting one made sense. My first 2 quilts were made that way.
Quilting has always been about never saying never. I started out with everything Marti Michell had about strip piecing. I’d make a complete lap size quilt every 3 days off. The folks at work were really impressed.
I picked up a block from a BOM at a quilt shop in New Mexico once that required me to make a template and it turned out so bad I SWORE I’d NEVER use templates. Then I had the chance to take a class with Marti Michell in Farmington, NM and it was using HER templates. Things were much better. I now use template.
It’s gone on like that. I’d NEVER paper piece, do it all the time now. I’d NEVER have a longarm! Why? Now, on my second machine, it’s my creative heart.

I’m mostly about the quilting. The piecing serves a purpose, either to create a canvas for the quilting, or someone needs a gift or, gasp, a quilt to use in the house.

Yes I have a business. I think the favorite part is getting to work on something I haven’t already quilted 5 different ways in my head, like I would have if I’d sat thru the piecing of it.

MQR: What is the most challenging part of quilting for you?

Not being stuck in a rut with the same designs over and over. Also creating what I really love is challenging. I love the traditional looking quilts, but it’s just not what I’m best at. I keep trying though, and in the meantime let myself be my odd self and do funky things.

MQR: What are your favorite quilting tools?

I love my rulers/templates, but I think my FAVORITE quilting tool would be THREAD. Thread can surprise you by taking your quilting farther than you expected.

There is something besides quilting? Just kidding. I don’t really have any others. I tried different things but nothing makes my heart sing like quilting.
I spend a lot of time herding cats…ahem, chasing kids, but I’m not sure it qualifies as a hobby yet.

MQR: Anything else to add?

Quilting, especially longarming, is my happy place. When life starts to suck, and I begin to get down, or feel overwhelmed, I can even just start imagining a longarming project, or technique I want to try/learn and escape if only for a little while.
I am so thankful for the amazing online communities we have. I totally attribute my creative growth and any skills I’ve acquired to what I’ve learned from all the fantastic quilters around the world who are as close as my computer screen, and more generous and giving than I could have ever imagined humanly possible.

 MQR: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla with either, strawberries or hot fudge on top.

MQR: Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?

Hmmm… I have to choose? Well, probably salty would win, but mixing them is also good (popcorn w/M&Ms in it, hence the size of my butt).

MQR: What is your favorite beverage?

Water is what I drink most, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Limeade (the frozen Minute Maid kind), and Cosmos for adult beverage time.

 MQR: What is your least favorite food?

Bell peppers! Double yuck!!

 MQR: What are your favorite books/authors?

Janet Evonvich, Dana Stabenow, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottolini, Nelson Demille, Dan Brown, Barbara Kingsolver (her fiction is more my cup of tea, though she is very profound in her non-fiction)

 MQR: What are your favorite movies?

KPAX, American History X, The Birdcage, French Kiss, Armagedon, White Palace, Ant Bully, Wild Thornberrys (you know I only get to watch kids movies these days right).

If I could only have one it would be “Balance is the key to life”.
You know, I collect quotes, so want to add a couple of others I like.
“Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.”

"Perhaps strength doesn't reside in never having been broken... but in the courage required to grow strong in the broken places." Unknown

"We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems." Margaret Mead
Oh, and of course this one….
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.” ~~ Marianne Williamson

Okay, I’ll stop…

MQR: What is one of your goals for 2008?

Hmm…a goal?…do the laundry BEFORE it’s as high as my butt, like only to my knees….Well, maybe that’s a bit too much… Oh, here’s one, do another leather quilt, not quite as torturous as housework, but almost.

All photographs were provided by Tracye.

Tracye's Webshots:  http://community.webshots.com/user/tracyeq 

Don't forget, you can visit the forum here.  if you would like to comment.

Thanks for playing along, Tracye! Tune in next week to see who will be the next Quilter In the Spotlight!