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
Filming in Kent for Justhands-on.tv
Val: We have a truely lovely day on Friday filming; we had stayed overnight at a small delightful hotel Hilltop Hotel close to Brands Hatch racecourse https://www.hilltophotel.co.uk/aboutus.htm and then we were up bright and early to do some filming. We spent the day with Sylvia Critcher, Hilary from The Silk Route, Kim Shaw, Carolyn Forster, Sue from The Daisy Chain and Lee Brown so we have lots of great workshops for you to enjoy.
Faded Flag cushion
Val; So pleased that so many of you have enjoyed the Faded Flag Cushion workshop video with Anne - it does work so very well with all sorts of colours - and here we have the latest version from Lyn Butler (for her friend in Cornwall)
Our visit to Mandy Shaw
As mentioned in the newsletter the boys from Bizview.tv (Matt Bigwood and Dave Harries) and I (plus hubby Stuart) popped down to East Sussex to film Mandy Shaw’s exhibition called ‘Quilts on the Farm’ where the work of her students was on display. The weather was glorious and the exhibition superb and we captured it all –including the bluebell woods and the Alpacas.