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
How to rotary cut strips, squares and rectangles of fabric.
In this video you will see how quickly, and more importantly, accurately you can cut strips of fabric and then turn then into squares and rectangles with the rotary cutter.www.justhands-on.tv/videos/1/
Minerva Arts Centre
Jennie: Film crew went to Minerva Arts Centre in Llandidloes, Powys – fantastic collection of ancient and modern quilts. Just you wait until you see the quilt with 12,000 3/4 inch hexagons made by a 9 year old boy!!! Also the complete contrast with four very contemporary Welsh quilters. Then off to see very special charity quilt made by 49 ladies in Crickhowell. Wow what a qult - each section tells of the journey through a landscape either your inner toughts and feelings or a real landscape that inspires you.
How it all started
In the beginning - Summer 2008: Valerie Nesbit (from Creative Quilting, Hampton Court, Surrey) dreams of creating a TV based web site devoted to Textile Arts. Jennie Rayment, nips and tucks, prattles and teaches internationally in her own little calico heaven August 2008: Seeds planted
Valerie finds a film crew and goes to Festival of Quilts, Quilt Museum in York and records workshops with several well known quilters.