A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my response to the prompt ‘Kitchen Inspiration’. The post was called ‘I would rather stitch’ which pretty much sums up my attitude to cooking, or any other type of house work. But my somewhat negative response to the prompt wasn’t just because I choose to do other things with my time it was because ‘Kitchen’ is still a place of massive inequality in most societies. Doesn’t matter whether we work, or how much we earn women are still doing more housework (and cooking and child care) than men. And, in my humble opinion, programmes like The Great British Bake Off are just making things worse. Am I less of a person if my cakes are shop brought?

But how to represent my feelings in cloth? How to incorporate a subversive narrative? By using a thermofax screen to print handcuffs on my background fabric and by decorating my cupcakes with symbols of female empowerment. And the title – Handcuffed to the Kitchen sink felt too obvious. So I have gone with Cherry Cupcake Baby. I believe it can be used as a term of endearment. But not in my kitchen. 

Cherry Cupcake Baby

30 x 20 inches

Breakdown printing, thermofax printing, fused applique, machine stitch, social norms and peer pressure.