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
Couldn’t Resist this Carousel
Carousel is the name of the pattern of the quilt that is featured on the cover of our Book of the Month for April - Simply Fat Quarters by the Sew Emma Creative Team - and I just had to make it. The girls have used Fat 1/4's but I rummaged into my scraps and used left-over strips but with a consistant background fabric: Plan to now have a go with all the blocks from the same fabric (they don't take long!)
April 2013
Today we are Out and About at the Great Northern [...]
Hampden Park Quilt Appeal for Alzheimer Scotland
Here are 4 of the quilts that were made by my lovely quilting friends at our weekend away (they did work on other projects too!) AND check out the labels that were made by Lynda for the back! (I got to hold up one for Liz as she finished two for the appeal)