This is not your nanna’s embroidery.

“Turns of Speech & Figures of Phrase” features a mash-up of lyrics borrowed from bands like The Postal Service, Blondie, Paul Simon and Prince, tossed up and stitched back together in random sequence.

The work is courtesy of Sydney’s crafty duo MaricorMaricar, who have rescued the traditional art of embroidery from its staid roots and given it a contemporary kick in the spool. If you’re quick, you’ve got one last week to catch their gig at Surry Hill’s Mart Gallery before it rocks on.

Squirreled away on a sleepy residential street, Mart Gallery’s white walls and appetite for all things musical are a well-suited blank canvas for MaricorMaricar’s first solo exhibition. Fifteen square frames of prints and patterns beckon, printed with colourful whorls of thread layered in saffron, fuchsia and turquoise. It is nearly impossible not to lean in and peer at the delicate weaving blend of colours, or the effortless swirl of yarn in script.

Audiophiles may do a double-take at the playfully confused lyric references. Just like a mix tape, interludes between tracks are signalled with geometric mosaics in a vibrant burst of  hues. In contrast, an immense, cream-coloured cotton fabric tacked on the far wall is barely discernible.

Running until 19 March, the creative pair score with this adventure in lyrical mix-ups blended innovatively beneath needle and thread – drop by and tune into this visual compilation.

Oh, and if you want to stitch one up, exhibited works sell for a song: from $180-$450.

Where: Mart Gallery, 156 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills

When: 3-19 March, Tue-Sat noon-5pm

Price: Free

Details: www.martgallery.com.au