Over 30 busy ladies (and a few men who served the tea and coffee!) gathered in the Church Halls on Monday the 3rd of November to enjoy a chat, to knit and crochet poppies as part of our WW1 commemoration activities and to raise money for Poppy Scotland. This is just the start of a series of events funded by the Presbytery to tie in with the Lest We Forget activities available for our young people. These will include photography, crafts and a book group. We decided to launch the poppy crafts now so if people wanted to knit or crochet poppies to wear on Remembrance Day they could. If you are making your own poppy to wear on Remembrance Day please don’t forget to give a donation to Poppy Scotland.
Are we just creating poppies for ourselves?
No – please make your own poppy to wear but we would like to create a poppy artwork to commemorate the Centenary of the Great War and have enough poppies to give everyone attending the Lest We Forget Commemoration Weekend a handmade commemorative poppy.
I’m not good at crafts – is there any help?
Yes – this is was just an initial meeting to get the project started. We will be having regular craft cafes to get together and learn how to make felted, fabric and knitted/crochet poppies – or just enjoy a cup of tea and a chat.
How many poppies do we need to make?
As many as possible! Our artwork will be designed to accommodate the number of poppies we manage to create.
Where will the poppies be displayed?
Initially the poppies will be on display in May next year as part of our commemoration weekend.
What is the due date for poppies?
We would like ALL poppies to be delivered to us no later than mid April 2015. We will set up a collection point in the Church and in the Hall to collect your creations.
I can’t come to the Craft Cafe can I help?
Absolutely – you can find loads of easy to make felt, fabric and wool poppy patterns on the internet – we’d love anything you can make.
What should my poppies look like and where can I find patterns?
Your poppies can be any shade of RED. They can be made of any fabric/fibre as long as it is red. In general size should be a maximum of 15cm, but we won’t reject them if they are bigger. You can decorate/embellish as you please, make them as interesting as possible. The key to the look is variation. So the more variation the better the outcome. There are a number of patterns on the internet for knit, crochet, commercial felt and fabric poppies. There is also a large project in Australia called 5000 Poppies that is heading towards creating 400,000 (yes 400,000!) craft poppies for Anzac day next year. We are contacting them to get permission to use their patterns – maybe some of our poppies could even be sent Down Under. Take a look at their blog for some great inspiration
When will the next Craft Cafe be?
We hope to meet once a month so are planning the next event for early December – watch this space for more details.