This November 11, the Kingsville Legion will have something new adorning its building in honour of Remembrance Day, thanks to two crafty Legion members, Jacky Patterson and Joann Smith.
Earlier this year, Jacky came across a news story about the Poppy Project in Elora, Ontario. Together with Joann Smith, they decided to launch a similar project in Kingsville. The aim was to rally local residents and encourage them to crochet bright red poppies which would eventually adorn a large swag.
They could not have imagined the response.
Joann found and tried a couple of patterns until she found one that produced a nice result and was also fairly easy. Jacky then used a local social media site to put out the clarion call to crafters across Kingsville to lend their support by finding a particular red wool and to produce a poppy of their own to add to the swag.
The response was overwhelming. People began messaging Jacky and the poppies began to pour in.
Most were crocheted, many were knitted, and some were even made by loom. Ladies from a local church group supplied a quantity of finished poppies. Jacky drove here and there to pick up more while others were dropped off at the Legion. Wool donations were also made to keep the crafters busy.
In total, Jacky believes that over 2000 poppies were made by the Kingsville community, including Legion Branch 188 members.
In August, Jacky began to sew them on the swag but quickly realized that it was going to be a herculean task. She reached out to the Legion and found the support she needed and, over the course of two Sundays, a team of people set about sewing the poppies on the swag.
Now completed, the swag measures 70 feet long and just under 5 feet wide. It will be used for the Remembrance Day service on November 11 where it will be displayed outside, weather permitting.
The Kingsville Legion welcomes all to come out and see this true work of art and take part in the Remembrance Day proceedings. There will also be a dinner that evening at the Legion at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased inside the Legion at the bar.
The poppy swag will now be part of the Kingsville Legion Remembrance Day for years to come.
When asked if she would consider taking on another project of this magnitude, Jacky confirmed that she has officially hung up her crochet hook for a while!
All photos provided by Jacky Patterson