Foxton’s ‘Craft & Create’ group are planning a poppy display to hang from the village sign during the Remembrance period in November this year. Volunteers are already busy knitting, crocheting, sewing and sticking hundreds of poppies of many different designs to go into the display. In support of this, Foxton Gardens Association plans to do some complementary planting in that area to accompany the poppies.

‘Craft & Create’ meets on the second Monday of every month in the pavilion at the village hall and is open to all who would like to attend. Everyone is welcome to contribute poppies to the display, whether attending the group or not. Foxton Parish Council has generously awarded £200 to ‘Craft & Create’ towards the cost of materials, so fabric and yarn are available free of charge for anyone who would like to contribute to the project.

If you would like to get involved, please contact Margaret Mead (margaret.mead7[at]hotmail.co.uk) or Linda Smith (linda[at]lindasmith.co.uk) to find out more.

Below are links to some of the patterns that are being used by volunteers, but you are very welcome to follow your own pattern and craft poppies in your own style! Amongst the many traditional red poppies being made to commemorate the sacrifices of those who died, you may also spot some purple poppies which commemorate animals, such as horses, dogs and pigeons, that also served in wartime.

• Niagara Falls Crochet & Knitting patterns (crochet pattern uses US terms) with follow-along videos: Yarnspirations: the Poppy Project
• BBC Radio ‘The Big Poppy Knit’ patterns for knitting and crochet (UK terms): British Legion
• Simple felt sewing pattern: Lore-Green blog
• No-sew crochet pattern (UK terms): Emma Leith
• Rag Rug Poppy: Ragged Life
• Suffolk Puff Poppy sewing instructions: PidgeLee
• Simple version of ‘The Big Poppy Knit’ pattern (pdf)

Feel free to send links to helpful patterns and we can add them here.

Linda, Margaret & Rebecca