With Memorial Day coming up in just a few days, we thought it was fitting to make some poppies. We have already made crepe paper poppies and tissue paper poppies. So our designer Krista decided to make us some felt red poppies for the first time.
This poppy is an easy flower to make and is great for all skill levels, including beginners. Whether you’re making these flowers for a patriotic holiday like Memorial Day, to bring comfort to a friend, or simply because you like poppies, you’ll find everything you need below.
Every Poppy has a Story
While we love flowers for how beautiful and uplifting they are, many of them have a greater symbolic meaning or story behind them! Poppies have been used since 1921 to remember those in the military who have died in war or armed conflicts. This was mainly due to the efforts of an American woman named Moina Michael, also known as the Poppy Lady. Inspired by John McCrae’s poem about World War I, she sold silk poppies to raise money in support of disabled veterans and succeeded in her mission to make poppies a symbol of remembrance. Though poppies were first adopted as a symbol for American soldiers, they are now commonly used in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on Remembrance Day.
While real poppies don’t last very long once you’ve cut them, your felt red poppies can last forever. You can add stems and leaves like we did to create a bouquet. Or you can leave the stems off and add your poppy flowers to another handcrafted project, like a wreath.
When you’re ready to make your felt red poppies, just follow the tutorial below. We’ve included the flower SVG if you want to use your Cricut Maker. Or you can cut your poppies by hand with our PDF template. If you have any questions, just ask! We are always happy to help.
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Tools
- Cricut Maker (optional)
- Low-Temp Hot Glue Gun
- Craft Scissors
- Detail Scissors (recommended)
- Needle-Nose Pliers/Wire Cutters
- Embroidery Needle
Materials
- Lia Griffith’s Wool Blend Felt – Cherry, Fern, Juniper, and Black
- Small (3/4″) Felt Pom-Poms — Benzie Design Moss
- Embroidery Floss — DMC Black (310)
- 18-Gauge Green Paper-Covered Wire
- Green Floral Tape – Lia Griffith Moss
- Fabric Stiffener — Aleene’s Stiffen Quik
How to Make Felt Red Poppies
- Gather craft tools and materials. Then download the flower pattern at the end of this post.
- Cut out felt according to the pattern, using a Cricut Maker or scissors.
- Thread a long embroidery needle with three strands of black embroidery floss. Pass the needle and thread through the center of a pom, leaving a short tail.
- Go around the side of the pom and back through the same hole.
Full tutorial available for members. Join here!
Explore More
Find more Memorial Day projects that are easy to make. Or browse all of our felt flowers on the site. If you enjoy working with felt, be sure to explore all of our felt crafts.
For more DIY ideas and inspiration, join us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Or browse our YouTube channel for video tutorials on making flowers, home decor, and more.
Are you having trouble? Feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you out.
4 Comments
Hi there, when I try to upload the felt poppies svg to cricut design space, it appears as a miniature, not the svg downloaded from your website. I’ve never had this problem before and cricut have asked me to come back to you to check the formatting of the svg? Many thanks for your time, I can’t wait to make it (will cut the leaves by hand but would really love the svg to transfer to DS for the leaves)
Katie.
Hi Katie,
We have updated the SVG and it should work now!
Felt poppies will look great as brooch.
Ooh yes!