Behind The Scenes of Lucy Sparrow's Sugar Rush - Lucy Sparrow

Behind The Scenes of Sugar Rush

Recreating an entire classic American candy shop entirely out of felt is no small feat. For Lucy’s Sugar Rush, the process from idea to opening day was a full-scale accomplishment of imagination and craftsmanship. With over 35,000 individually handmade felt candies and pick n mix sweeties, shelves packed with colour, and an immersive, nostalgia-fuelled interior, Sugar Rush transformed a familiar sweet shop into a fully felt whimsical world – a labour of patience, precision, and joy in true Lucy Sparrow style.

Sewing The Sweets

Every piece of candy in Sugar Rush began life as a sheet of felt, carefully cut by Boris and Bertha – our fabric cutting machines – before being hand-sewn by our small team. Hundreds of hours went into stitching, stuffing, and shaping everything from Haribo gummies to pick n mix classics like jelly beans and gummy bears. Each felt piece is handmade slowly and with intention, meaning no two pieces are ever the same. It’s painstaking, joyful work – and it’s this hands-on process that gives Sugar Rush its irresistible charm.

With over 35,000 individual felt sweets created for the show, production was a truly enormous undertaking — especially within a tight deadline. From candy jars and chocolate bars to pick ’n’ mix and oversized display sweets, every single thing you see in Sugar Rush was made by hand. There’s no factory line at Sew Your Soul; just a small team of very skilled gals, fuelled by colour, passion, and a whole lot of sugar!

Once hand-sewn, each felt piece needed to be hand painted to bring it fully to life. Details like smiles, text, and logos on packaging were painted in Lucy’s signature style. Making them instantly recognisable as her work.

Alongside the thousands of felt sweets, a vibrant series of flatworks and posters were created for the walls of Sugar Rush. Each piece was handmade from felt and draws inspiration from classic American candy shop signage, vintage sweet packaging, and bold retro advertising. These felt flatworks help build the immersive, sugar-soaked atmosphere of the space, expanding the world of Sugar Rush far beyond the sweet counter.

Installing Sugar Rush

Once everything was made, it was time to bring Sugar Rush to life in the gallery space. With just three days to complete the install, the schedule was (very!!) tight — especially considering the sheer volume of work involved. Every counter, shelf, display unit, and sweet stand was built from scratch ahead of time by carpenters James and Malcolm (thank you!), before being meticulously covered in felt by Geraldine and Lauren.

Team Felt managed to transform the empty gallery space into a fully stocked candy shop before opening. The first step was laying the vibrant pink, fluffy flooring, instantly shifting the space into Sugar Rush mode — bold, playful, and unapologetically sweet.

Next came the install of the furniture. Every counter, shelving unit, and sweet stand was carefully positioned to recreate the joyful excess of a classic American candy shop. Glass jars were filled to the brim with felt pick ’n’ mix, shelves stacked high with colourful wrapped sweets, and display units overflowing with treats. Everything was styled to feel playful yet familiar, inviting visitors to step inside and lose themselves in Lucy’s soft world.

The last few hours of the install were all about finessing. Hanging sweet-themed wall artworks, styling overflowing candy jars, and perfecting the displays right down to the last sprinkle. Neon lighting was added to give the space that unmistakable candy-store glow. By the end of the three days, the space had been completely transformed into a felt-filled, vibrant, and joyfully excessive love letter to the classic American candy shop.

After nearly 8-9 months of making and an intense three-day install, Sugar Rush was open and welcomed its first visitors. Whether they were long-time fans of Lucy and her immersive felt worlds, lovers of all things sweet, or simply curious to see a fully felt candy shop, it was an experience not to be missed! The installation ran from 2-7 December 2025 at Art Miami. Guests came hungry for art – and many left craving a jar of sweeties.