Long version with lots of pictures

I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. My parents are amazing creative influences. My father, Michael Swaine, is a freelance graphic artist and has his own successful graphic design company at www.mikeswaine.com . My mother, Cindy Swaine, taught me how to sew and was always trying new crafts and making wonderful things. My brothers, Brent and Trevor, are also very talented artists.  I was in art classes all my young life. So, of course, during high school I decided to be a scientist. I moved to Cambridge, MA and received my B.S. in Chemistry from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in 1997. After graduating, I worked as a chemist for PPI (a small pharmaceutical company), Coca Cola Bottling Company, and Gillette's Toiletries Technology Lab.

In 1998, I picked out a book on basic quilting at a book fair and decided to make my mother a quilt for Christmas. It was a traditional pieced pattern called Log Cabin, but I modified it a bit and hand quilted it. It took two months and I made many, many mistakes, but I was totally hooked by the time I finished. I began searching out everything I could find on quilting and started a bunch of new projects.  Over the next few years I spent more and more time designing and making quilts.

Eventually, I understood that I had found my medium and needed to take a chance and pursue it. Around this time, my wonderful and supportive husband, Joe and I decided to quit our jobs and move to Austin, TX. I started The Crafty Monkey in January 2002. I found the Renaissance Market (now 23rd St Artists Market) and started out with a card table, a few wallhangings, small quilted zipper bags and backpacks. 

The first several months were spent experimenting with fabric, design and the practicalities of running your own business. I enjoyed the freedom to create the designs I had been carrying around in my notebook and come up with new ones. I was also able to apply skills gained as a chemist: product development, quality assurance, data analysis and problem solving.

I have expanded my product line to include a wide range of fabric handbags and accessories. I also knit and crochet hats and scarves in the fall and winter. Quilted wallhangings are available as custom orders.

First quilt for my mother for Christmas 1998

The second quilt that I started is still unfinished. I taught myself how to applique with several different methods on this one. Someday I will finish it and it will be fabulous. The center block is an expanded snail's trail.

The second quilt that I actually finished was for my friend Paresh. It was my first attempt at free motion machine quilting. I knew after that that I preferred machine quilting to hand quilting. It is a lot less painful for the fingers.

I believe the basic pattern was from a magazine article in McCalls Quilting

I loved the idea of optical illusions in quilting, so in this one I used the traditional Attic Windows block to create a realistic feeling window with an unrealistic view. This was my first wallhanging. I still keep it hanging over our bed. Later I did a series of window wallhangings inspired by this one.

This one was for my brother Trevor for Christmas 1999. I tried to include as many fabrics with his interests as possible and edged it with a building block border. This was my first real attempt at designing a quilt completely myself. Previously I had used variations of traditional quilt blocks. It was completed a little late on January 1, 2000.

That Christmas, I also made a quilt for my father. This one I also designed myself, although I was greatly influenced by Kaleidescopes by Paula Nadelstern for the sun and isometric perspective for the boxes.

It was also my first attempt at hand dying fabric. I hand dyed a color gradation for the boxes and also the yellow on top of the boxes to enhance the optical illusion.

I worked on  a series of  color study wallhangings next with my friend Cathy who was discovering quilting at the same time.

This one was an exercise in combining disparate fabrics to get a pleasing outcome.

This exercise was a study of two colors and the range of shades.

I so enjoyed the experience that I have made several more in different color schemes. 

The first things I sold were in 2000. They were a backpack and a queen sized bed quilt.

Alice

Alice is based on a blacklight wallhanging my friend Paresh gave me of the caterpillar and Alice in Alice in Wonderland. I used the basic shapes and tried to make the scene my own with color and pattern choices. Alice's face is actually a samurai. This was my first completed all applique wallhanging.

Winter in Massachusetts

This wallhanging was inspired in the winter/spring of 2001 in Worcester, MA when all I could think about was the warm desert. It was my first experiment with curved piecing. It was designed and completed over a particularly snowy weekend.

Earth, Air and Water