In Rags to Riches: The Quilt as Art with an Introduction by Mary Pratt, Laurie Swim tells her own story, in pictorial applique, of the years 1995 to 2005. Laurie's work is charming and virtuous, and so is Laurie. The reader will discern the relationship with delight. Click here to purchase.

A note from the Publisher:

"This is the First Edition of this book. It is printed and bound in Canada on acid-free paper, with a Smythe sewn binding. In a Smythe sewn book, the pages of the sections, called signatures, are sewn together, and the signatures are then sewn to the binder's boards at the spine, making an extremely durable product. All copies we sell are personally signed by the artist."

Laurie and I hope you will enjoy our book and recommend it to your friends and colleagues.

We welcome your comments. Please feel free to write us at: sales@artquiltpublishing.com
Larry Goldstein, September 2007
"This is Laurie's third book. It presents her work to date in five series: Back Yards, The Ragged Shore, The Blue Rocks Yacht Club, They Were Fishers, and Community-built Quilts. Laurie's detailed realistic appliqué works are beautiful. It was fascinating to read about the inspiration for each piece, and to see her original sketches and photographs. Much of the work in this book was inspired by the scenery in Nova Scotia and Laurie beautifully captures the essence of its beauty. The most powerful part of this book for me was the description and photos of the community-built quilts that Laurie has organized. These powerful works not only commemorate important events, they work to build community as the community works to build the quilt, and often act as catalysts for change. Breaking Ground, The Hogg's Hollow Disaster, 1960 commemorates the death of five construction workers caught in a collapsing tunnel, which eventually led to improvements in Canadian workplace safety standards. The Canadian Young Workers Memorial Quilt commemorates 100 workers ages 18-25 killed on the job, often due to inadequate training and safety measures. Lost at Sea, 1961 commemorates the loss in a freak late-winter storm of 17 fishermen from the small town of Lockeport, leaving 16 widows and 65 fatherless children. Created 39 years after this disaster, this quilt-making effort brought together many of those children, now grown, and altogether 300 people attended the unveiling. Laurie details the development of each piece, including many stories of how the process of creating these quilts affected the lives of those involved."

- Reviews of Featured Books, Studio Art Quilts Associates
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