The Poppy Project. A hundred thousand stitches, one act of remembrance.
At Lichfield Cathedral, remembrance is being made by hand. The Poppy Project is an 18-month community craft initiative, launched in May 2026, that invites people from across Lichfield and the wider diocese to take up needle, hook or thread and contribute to a single shared artwork.
Delivered in partnership with The Fabric Vault, it will culminate in a large-scale, sweeping installation at the Cathedral for Remembrance 2027, unveiled in October 2027.
The ambition is considerable: more than 100,000 handmade poppies, each created by a member of the community and joined together into one collective piece. The finished work will be built from many individual acts of creativity, each one a small gesture of memory, hope and care.
Poppies are in four colours, red, purple, black and white, together, they widen the story of remembrance, honouring those who are too often left out of it.
The project is open to all and welcomes makers of every level, from lifelong knitters to complete beginners.
Poppies can be knitted, crocheted, sewn or embroidered, in any size, with optional green leaves. Each need only include a loop or piece of string so it can be attached to the final installation.
Free Poppy Stitch Club sessions are running at the Cathedral throughout the project, an informal, welcoming space to learn new skills, meet others and stitch together and completed poppies can be dropped off at the Cathedral or at The Fabric Vault. Pattern and project packs are available to buy, with £1 from each supporting The Royal British Legion.
The Poppy Project builds on Lichfield’s recent community craft work and shows what cathedral textiles can be at their best: not only objects to admire, but shared experiences that bring people together. Like the embroidered hangings, kneelers and banners made in cathedrals across England, it turns skill and patience into something collective, a lasting expression of a community’s faith, memory and creativity.
See all of wonderful Threads of Faith entries here.
