Laurie Swim has worked as an artist for forty years, developing unique and innovative treatments to fashion her imagery in textiles with fabric and thread. She is the author of five books, including The Joy of Quilting (with an introduction by Alex Colville), Quilting, Rags to Riches: The Quilt as Art (with an introduction by Mary Pratt), and a children’s book entitled Hope and Survival on the Halifax Explosion.

Swims's works grace many private and public collections, including the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Art Bank, Nova Scotia Designer Craft Council, the City of Toronto Art Collection, and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.