World Of War-craft: Felt Gun Shop Opens In East London

By Rebecca Lewis @RebeccaSLewis

WITH its walls covered in guns, this pop-up shop seems an unlikely new addition to trendy Shoreditch

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Videographer / Director: Jack Stevens
Producer: Rebecca Lewis
Editor: Jack Stevens

Stick 'em up! Artist Lucy Sparrow holds up two felt guns

But the pistols, grenades and revolvers are safe in children’s hands - as they are all made out of FELT.

Feeling fuzzy: Lucy brandishes her felt weapon

She's dangerous: Her belt of explosives is luckily made of material

The Warmongery is the unusual brainchild of craft-crazy Lucy Sparrow, 28, from Southampton.

Feeling dangerous: Lucy shows off a biological weapon

Fun and games! The 'Thug Life' baseball is made out of felt

Last year she delighted Londoners with a cornershop made entirely of fabric – and has now returned with a pop-up store dedicated to explosives, firearms and knives.

On the march: Lucy's biohazard suit stands out on London's busy streets

Lucy has hand-stitched 950 individual pieces, including biohazard suits, rifles and even a TANK.

Each piece was carefully hand-stitched...

...Lucy worked for two months to finish the unusual replicas

She said: “I've always worked with felt. It's mainly because of its association with childhood and innocent crafting projects.

A range of weaponry is available at the pop up shop

“When you start making things like guns and porn mags out of felt, it really messes with people's heads.

Visitors can buy felt grenades, guns and even a tank

“They like it but feel a bit divided at the same time. It's bordering on sickly twee and cute but punching you in the face all at once.”

Lucy lovingly hand-stitched 950 items, including a bundle of dynamite sticks

The labour-of-love took two months to make, with Lucy working round-the-clock seven days a week to produce at least three items a day.

Crafty: Lucy hopes the project will allow people to re-think mental illness

Thanks to the success of her previous project, Lucy was able to fund the Warmongery herself – but found the pressure to top the felt Cornershop overwhelming.

Lucy's previous project was a cornershop - filled with felt goodies

She said: “I feel like a band who's just had a hit single and now has to prove themselves with a second album.

Ka-boom: Handmade grenades have a pleasant smile stitched on the top

“The Cornershop appealed to every demographic possible so I always knew that making The Warmongery was not going to be so easy to win people over.

Prices at The Warmongery range from £4 to £1250

“I know that The Warmongery is going to meet some resistance because of what it looks like on the surface but I hope that visitors are willing to look a bit deeper and realise what it's all about.”

She's dangerous: Lucy poses with one of the guns

Hard work: Each piece can take hours to complete

The exhibition, which is open for just six days from May 12, allows visitors to purchase each item – from £8 grenades to an intricate £1,250 tank.

Feeling lucky? Lucy appears to be armed against warfare with her felt goods

And although the nature of the shop may shock, Lucy hopes visitors will think twice about gun control and mental health.

She said: “I think it's very common and not surprising that people tend to blame an object of violence rather than the thing that is pulling the trigger.

“It's a classic way of treating mental illness where you treat the symptom instead of the underlying cause of the problem.

“Banning guns won't stop people having the anger and frustration of wanting to use that weapon in the first place so the idea behind The Warmongery as with all my work is to anthropomorphise objects to make disgust towards them seem all the more ridiculous.”

For more information or to shop online visit www.thewarmongery.com