“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
Each year we remember those who served on Veterans Day also known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is when firing ceased in the war to end all wars. Poppies are the symbolic for that day – red for blood spilt, black for mourning, and green for the fields that still grow.
This pattern was inspired for today and is shared freely. It takes a dark red fat quarter, a red fat quarter and a green fat quarter; four 1 1/4″ squares of black flannel (or other fabric), less than 1/4 yd of spare batting, thread, and a black spare button. I liked the idea of using spare bits and bobs to remind of us rebuilding.
The four petals were made with the Quilt as You Go 1 3/4-inch Jewel Template from Daisy and Grace. The back is the dark red and the front is red. I used the instructions to construct the jewels, with one exception, the 1 1/2″flannel was layered onto the red fabric on the tip. They were hand sewn and hand quilted, but you can sew them on a machine. The one leaf is made from the same jewel template in green fabric. A base was made from the red fabrics using the Quilt as You Go 2 1/2″ Hexagon Template from Daisy and Grace.
Once the pieces were made, the leaf was sewn to the hexagon base, about 1/2″ from the edge, using a whip stitch. The next step was to add two petals. The petals were folded back from the tip of the jewel about 1″ and whip stitched to the hexagon. This makes the petal three dimensional. Then, two more petals were added in the same manner. Make sure the petals overlap each other. Finally, a button was sewn in the center of the hexagon, in between the petals.
We should always remember the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and the sacrifices made for us.
If you have any questions about this pattern or would like to see a more formal version, please let me know.
Happy Quilting
Laureen
