You may be familiar with the popular tradition of wearing a poppy pin leading up to Remembrance Day that happens in many places across the globe. The poppy became a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war, particularly World War I, after Dr John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields[1]. The plastic poppy pins are sold in many parts of the world, with the proceeds going to support veterans.
This is fantastic, but unfortunately, many of the poppies in circulation are still made from plastic. On top of that, the pins aren't great for holding the poppy on your clothing, so many of these symbols of love and respect wind up on the ground. While there is movement toward more eco-friendly options, like Canada switching from plastic poppies to a cotton/bamboo version[2], and the UK changing over to a paper version[3], I still struggle with the thought of products that are made to last a week or two and be disposed of - especially when tens of millions are produced each year. So this year, I wanted to create a version that I can wear year after year, without using plastic!
Of course, it's important to show our monetary support for veterans as well. If you are making a poppy instead of buying one, please consider donating to the cause in addition. This is a link for folks in Canada to donate to the Poppy Fund, and this is one for folks in the UK, and of course the Poppy Appeal for Aussie folks.
As for making our poppy, there are loads of poppy patterns out there in the world - there are a few examples in this blog post -but I wanted to create something that was sashiko and Zen Stitching inspired. I landed on two versions of a poppy pin, stitched on denim:
I put together a video showing how I did it:
Plus, if you'd like to make one yourself, I created a free poppy template that you can use! Head over to this page to get it. If you make one for yourself, I hope you'll tag me @zenstitching on Facebook or Instagram so I can see your creation!
