About Dionne
Dionne paints with stitches to create dynamic, vibrantly coloured textiles. Her needle becomes her pen and thread her ink. The scale, emotion, and energy of her landscapes are inspirational.
Dionne is a graduate of Goldsmith’s College, London University. She has a Masters in Textiles from UCE. And she has been recognised by the industry for her incredible work, e.g. Shortlisted Finalist in the Fine Art Textiles Award at The Festival of Quilts 2020.
Now based between Yorkshire [UK] and Abruzzo [Italy], she exhibits and tutors internationally.
You can watch Dionne demonstrate how to use free motion embroidery to create a range of patterns, textures, tones, and shades in an episode of The Makers Studio series, brought to you by Janome and justhands-on.tv.
Signature Technique
Painting with stitches
Top Tips
- Use a vibrant mix of thread weights, colours, and styles to build up a more dynamic texture.
- A machine with an extra wide throat makes it easier to manipulate your piece.
- Cover your hoop with fabric to give it more grip. You need the fabric to stay drum like as you manoeuvre it.
- Drawing your subject first, with pencil on paper, can help improve your observation and knowledge of your subject – try not to work from a photograph.
- Practice by stitching your signature to get started. Your muscle memory will help you.
- Think of painting with stitches as an orchestra with the sewing machine, threads, fabric, hoop, and you (!) coming together to work as one.
- Don’t be afraid of the machine. After a few hours of speed sewing it becomes second nature.
- Try not to have a set image of the outcome. You are not stitching an exact replica. The result is where you get to. There is no wrong in there. Enjoy the journey.
Videos
Patterns
Posts
To try to keep you in touch
Here is a lovely comment from one of our viewers: Hi, as a member of this brilliant club , I would love to win this month's giveaway prize Thank you so much for your hard work, it is much appreciated. It keeps us in touch with the quilting world.
Kind Regards
Carol and it is what we aim to do - So keep watching for more from Jennie, Angela Daymond, Paula Doyle and myself as we share new workshops and some of our favourite things.
Update 21st August 2015
Workshops We get more helpful advice from Jennie, our expert [...]
To mark or not to mark- that is often the question
We are talking about quilting here; and I have always thought that if I can avoid adding any marking lines to my quilt that's the best option - nothing to remove and therefore worry about. However in today's world and if, like me, you can't draw, then marking can become necessary and there are many marking pencils and pens and chalks on the market for us to choose from - the latest of which are the Frixion Pens.