It was rush hour at Southern Cross station when David Gray unfurled several metres of cloth from his backpack and pulled it over the concrete block like a sock.

The West Footscray resident's brief act of whimsy this week has sparked more crafty responses to the city's temporary bollards, which serve as stark reminders of the threat of terrorism.

It began with a sleepless night, his mum's old Waltons Celestial sewing machine and scraps of fabric that had been sitting in his house for 20 years, a stash left over from pride march costumes he made while active in the Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby.

"My intention was never to make fun of the issues that have led to the bollards," Gray said.