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
Holiday Sewing
Max was so taken with the pattern he found of Owl on the Daisy Chain stand at the National Patchwork Championships in June that he couldn't wait to get the sewing done.
He chose the fabrics too (good choice!) and while Twit is finished and obviously much loved, Wit and Woo are still works in progress. (Mum's supervision time is being taken up with sewing on name tags!)
White van lady
Val: Finally got to downloading some of the pics from our journey at the Festival of Quilts and couldn't resist this one - parked at home it not only took up most of the driveway but also gently grazed the lower branches of my neighbours trees, and I needed steps to get into the back too!!! (Isa says that if I get to drive next year we might get one with a tail lift!)
Dates for next year's Festival of Quilts are 16-19 August 2012
One man’s comments
Val: Thankyou Derek for getting back to us with this:
"Its not my fault its the computer - it made me do it !" (ROFL) that's what I say about my sewing machine! I have just finished watching the video on Free Motion Embroidery and wanted to say thank you to Jennie for the video I have tried Free Motion Quilting on my Janome with disastrous results - I could never get the needle to perform a nice smooth curve or a straight, straight line.