Aren’t poppies the prettiest?
Not only do they look lovely – they also have symbolic meaning. Poppies (sometimes referred to as Memorial Day Poppies or Remembrance Poppies) are a symbol of Memorial Day, worn or displayed in honor of the men and women who have given their lives in service of our country. Memorial Day is May 26th this year, and these simple DIY poppies made from red felt are just one of the many ways you can honor the holiday.
Memorial Day Wreath made with DIY red felt poppies.
Supplies
Red Felt
Template (see below)
Scissors
Buttons
Needle
String or Thread
First, print and cut out the DIY Poppy Template below. (Right click on the photo to download it or “save as” and print it out as large as you can get it onto an 8.5 x 11″ piece of card stock.)
To make a large or medium-sized open poppy:
- Trace and cut the template out of red felt two times for each poppy.
- Stack petals on top of each other, making sure the lower petals peek out underneath the top petals.
- Thread needle and, starting from the underside of the poppy, push it up through the poppy (just off of center).
- Thread button onto the needle and string and then push needle back through the poppy (again, just off of center).
- Tie the two ends of your string tightly in back to secure your button and give your poppy a little bit of a pucker. (Note: The wider you make your stitch in the front, the more of a bend your poppy will have after you tie the knot in back. For a totally flat poppy, keep your stitch close together and very close to center.)
How to make a large or medium poppy.
To make a small, closed poppy:
- Trace and cut the small template out of red felt one time per poppy.
- Fold it in half (it doesn’t have to be perfectly in half – play around with it a bit to see what you prefer) and then roll it up, starting at one end.
- Tie the point tightly with a string – no sewing necessary!
How to make a small poppy.
I used my DIY red felt poppies to decorate a Memorial Day wreath and a Memorial Day parade candy bucket, so string was a great finishing touch for my projects, but you can use any materials you’d like to finish yours. Stitching these to a pin would be a great option so you could wear it on your clothes or bin to your bag!
DIY Memorial Day Wreath made with red felt poppies.
Close-up of the pretty poppies.
I used the same painting technique I used for my Patriotic Painted Denim Bunting to make this mini USA bunting for my wreath:
Painted Denim Mini-Bunting
Another pretty poppy idea? Tie one to a bucket and bring it to a Memorial Day Parade!
How will you be celebrating Memorial Day this year?
What kind of wreath did you use? And what kind of fabric? Thanks! I want to make one for my mom using a pair of my dad’s jeans. He passed away in February and I kept some of his clothing to make a quilt – I’m using the jeans pockets on the quilt and now I can use the “legs” for this project.
Hi Dusty
Just came across your felt poppies. I am making poppies with my children for the 5000 poppies project (to mark Anzac Day 2015 in Australia and New Zealand).
I think we will make some of yours – they are nicely “petalled”, without being complicated!
Thanks! And I will pop back another day to see some more ideas.
What a great idea, Katherine! Thank you so much for your comment, and good luck with your project!
Thanks for this! Love the idea and I’m actually having my daughter’s “club” make them tomorrow to help celebrate Memorial Day.
Easy to follow. Just making one from red wool fabric for a co-operative Women’s Institute wreath for Remembrance Sunday on 11 November 2018 here in England. Thank you.