Based in East Lothian, Claire Sowton offers a professional longarm quilting service (covering Edinburgh and central Scotland) as well as bespoke workshops for individuals or groups with the Bernina Q24 longarm machine and Intelliquilter computerised quilting system.
In addition to longarm quilting, Claire's research interests in arts engagement, digital cultural heritage and data literacy inform an innovative approach to designing quilt patterns. In 2023, Claire launched a personalised pattern creator that turns a visualisation of the stars (anywhere in the world on any date) into a (machine-piecing) quilt pattern - seemingly the first of its kind globally. Inspired by the process of innovation, Claire set out to hack her pattern in a variety of ways to make it more accessible to other quilters. 2024 saw the release of a foundation paper piecing version of the pattern creator and a set of instructions to modify the machine piecing version to exclude y-seams.
Examples of Claire's quilts have featured in Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine and as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival (Creative Informatics showcase) held at the National Museum of Scotland (March-April 2024).
'The Future of Quilting' Love Patchwork & Quilting, January 2024 (Issue 133)
'Top Tech' Love Patchwork & Quilting, September 2023 (Issue 128)
'Reaching for the stars' Love Patchwork & Quilting, August 2023 (Issue 127)