With the memories of the world wars fading into history, the symbolic importance of the poppy is more relevant than ever to ensure that the lessons, sacrifices and tragedies are not forgotten.
To that end, Cleopatra’s Needle (https://www.cleopatrasneedle.co.uk/Poppies+Lavender+Heart) have this, and other, poppy themed kits which will provide a gentle reminder all year round.
However, it is also a time to remember how stitching played a part in the mental rehabilitation of many soldiers who returned from the Front in the First World War suffering from what we now recognise as PTSD, at a time where mental health concerns were virtually unrecognised. The Disabled Soldiers Embroidery Society, founded by Ernest Thesiger, provided employment for soldiers unable to return to work in previous trades, and thereby therapy at the same time. The ongoing use of handicrafts such as stitching and embroidery have had an important role to play in providing a focus for mindful, therapeutic activities ever since.
