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
Competition winners
Val: Fabric is in the post to the girls who won and Elizabeth in Ayreshire loves the idea that she will soon be the proud owner of the Husqvarna Viking ER10 Embellisher machine. Congratulations to you all. Don't forget that there is a Janome BCC-30 sewing machine on offer; all you have to do is answer 3 simple questions correctly to be in with a chance to win it.
Tilda Bag from Panduro Hobby
Val: This is a super little workshop sponsored by Panduro Hobby and filmed at Creative Quilting in E.Molesey, Surrey. The bag comes from the Tilda book Tilda's Summer Ideas and is one of a large range of extremely appealing books full of 3D and easy home-dec ideas. Valerie Nesbitt and Alex Planidin of Panduro Hobby on location at Creative Quilting.
Naze Tower textile exhibition
Val: Earlier this week I went over to Essex to visit the Naze Tower (CO14 8LE) where my friend Hilary Davies has a textile exhibition - on the 6th floor. This is a truely amazing building, built 1720-21 by Trinity House as a 'Navigation Mark' to aid shipping and now is a tourist attraction with the added bonus of exhibitions on each floor. www.nazetower.co.uk The current exhibition runs until 5th September and well worth a visit BUT if you are travelling by car round the M25 anticlockwise be warned of the horrendous traffic problems around junctions 27/28/29 (and if you have satnav get it to help you round them to join back up to the A12).