How to knit or sew a Remembrance poppy

As a charity supporting thousands of ex-servicemen and women, the National Service of Remembrance is one of the most important events in our annual calendar.

On this page, we show you how to make your very own poppy to wear with pride in November, or even add to our stunning 'Field of Remembrance' display.

What you’ll need

1. Red four-ply wool or red felt
2. Size 4mm knitting needles or a crochet hook
3. A black button
4. Green felt
5. A safety pin
6. Scissors
7. A large needle
8. Red thread
9. Glue

Step-by-step instructions

1. Using the knitting needles and red wool, cast on 20 stitches.
2. Knit a garter stitch until work measures 10cm x 10cm, or thereabouts.
3. If you’re knitting, cast off and leave a long enough tail. Then thread the end with a large needle. For felt, thread a needle with red yarn.
4. With the threaded needle, weave the needle in and out around the sides of the knitted or felt square.
5. Gather in the sides by pulling in the yarn. This should create a round poppy-like shape.
6. When you’re happy with the shape of the poppy, secure the middle with a few stitches then weave in any loose thread and sew the button on top.
7. With the button sewn on and poppy nicely shaped, cut a leaf out of green felt.
8. Glue or sew the leaf on to the back of the poppy.
9. Sew the safety pin on to the back of the poppy.
10. Your knitted poppy is ready to be worn with pride.