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
coded; decoded – an exhibition by Prism Textile Group
This exhibition of contemporary textiles is on all week at the Mall Galleries in London and is FREE! We will be there on Thursday with the cameras, so if you can't attend in person, you can sit back later in the year and enjoy it from the comfort of your own home. More information on our events page. Update Information: Wow; what a great exhibition - well done girls; huge variety of textile art on display and all of an amazing high standard.
Exciting day spent at The Bramble Patch
Great day spent filming at The Bramble Patch a quilt shop near Northampton that was founded back in 1987, and they made us so very welcome; we got to interrupt a couple of the classes that were in session with Edwina McKinnon and Hilary Beattie as well as enjoy a demonstration on binding with Jane; AND we met Beryl and Bertha - want to know more?
Update 16th May 2014
Events This weekend many of our contributors are at Quilts [...]