Sofa Monkey + co in progress

I've been attempting to reupholster my old 1960's sofa - I've had it for years and it cost the grand sum of 20 quid form a second hand shop. I used to keep it in the studio and many artists over the years have taken their rejuvenating afternoon naps on it! Anyway I took it home when I moved house a few years back and finally got fed up of its muddy green velour, black paint and pancake flat cushion. I stripped the arms and base back to bare wood and bought it a new foam cushion.

My upholstery skills leave a lot to be desired so I'm aiming for quirky, psychedelic flower power over beautifully crafted. I've finished hand-sewing the bottom cushion together and put on some newly covered buttons - it's gone slightly baggy already so I can see myself having to redo it. I've used a mix of new and vintage fabrics patch-worked together with vintage edgings and military braid.

For the back rest I've decided to make a series of faces that will be patched together, again with braid and vintage edging - I've completed a monkey and a bird - I guess I need another 2 or 3 to finish it.

Freak Exhibition, Shoreditch opens 9th December

I'm making multiples to be sold in the 'Freak' Show shop that accompanies the new Exhibition ( The show opens this Thursday evening: 5pm - 10pm at Shoreditch Town Hall - all welcome.

About the Show:
Freaks and misfits hold a vague and mysterious place inside human consciousness and outside of human comprehension. They can take many forms; a freak of nature, a freak accident or a freak appearance. For centuries freak shows and circuses have fascinated and perplexed the imagination of countless audiences. They show us something which is so close to home but living in a reality so far from what we call normality. These misfits serve as a reminder that our reality is only as concrete as we decide to make it. This exhibition serves to explore the notion of the Freaks and to wholeheartedly engulf its self and viewer into the mysteries of things not quite of this world.
This exhibition displays 35 artist's from around Europe and their visions of what happens when we peer behind the curtain and see the glitches in the makeup of our reality.

Opening Night: Thursday 9th December 5pm - 10pm. All welcome.

Exhibition: 9th - 16th December
open from 10am - 7pm on weekdays and from 10am till 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Burnett + Catt - Carnival in progress

We've started stitching the large costumes for Bradford Lord Mayors Parade, the Sun and Moon are well on their way with ridiculous amounts of embroidery being applied late at night to massive swathes of cloak - wearing silly furry heads relieves the cold and the monotony.....



The sun head dress just needs attaching to its back pack - easier said than done as its about 5ft tall. The little dog behind the pink hammock is Tilly.
Tonight I made a start on the 'Smash' Robot who will sit in the basket of the Moon Balloon float. His eyes are way too small at the moment, probably mirroring our late night 'pisshole in the snow' squints. I think I'll give him a potato masher and some old forks to hold in his claws.

Burnett & Catt - Recycled Costume Commission

Burnett & Catt: Finished Recycled Costume commission. 'Powdered Wig' made of recycled knits. The dress, cuffs and fans are recycled polythene bags, sweet wrappers, soft toys and other assorted rubbish, embroidered and stitched.

Phrenology (grandma) old enough to know better

The third phrenology head from the Red Riding Hood trio - terrible photographs unfortunately, taken in bad light before I took it to New York. The three have been to Scope Art Fair now and are now on exhibit at Jack the Pelican in Brooklyn.