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We want to create Britain’s Biggest Knitted Purple Poppy to help us launch our 2019 Purple Poppy Appeal in support of animal and military charities – and we need your help…If you can’t knit but want to get involved then you can make poppies out of purple felt or fabric. All contributions welcome! We have reintroduced the purple poppy emblem to recognise and remember all animals – in war or in peace - that give service, support and companionship to people all over the UK and beyond. What we will do is sew them altogether to make a giant cloak and we plan to have a very special celebrity or two wear it for us ahead of our national day on August 23, 2019. There is a simple pattern which should make a good number of poppies from one ball of wool or yarn, Please send your poppies by Friday 19 July 2019 to The War Horse Memorial, 18, Ascot Towers, Windsor Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7LG.

Our new website launch is highlighted in Craft Focus magazine. We are excited as they talk about the improvements we have made to the site. For example we have a new filter section that makes it easier to find videos. We have many new tutors on the site and they are in the article as well. You'll also find a quote from our CEO, Steve Barton.

The jelly roll rug that got started on the weekend away  is finally finished - doesn't it look good.

We spent a wonderful few days at the end of March at our Eversley retreat with Jennie teaching Stripey Octagons and Valerie with her Tricky Triangles

Gill from Berkshire is the lucky winner of our 2018 competition in conjunction with the wonderful Janome to win a sewing machine. She was also lucky enough to get upgraded to the latest model MC9450QCP. Here's Gill with her new friend just delivered. Keep an eye on the blog and we'll have more photos and details once she has unpacked it.

It seems like only yesterday that we were telling you that Valerie's 40 minute quilt video had taken the internet by storm and has been viewed over ONE MILLION times on You Tube. Well would you believe it, our very own Queen of Scrap has only gone and topped the TWO MILLION mark recently!! She is now truly an internet sensation.

A really fun time was had by these lovely ladies working with Jennie Rayment and Paula Doyle - Some of Jennie's class projects can be seen in the foreground fiddled and twiddled - and Paula's group worked on Easy Stack. If you give it a go, we promise the results will be amazing!

For those of you who have been following or joining in with the poppy project in Wotton, the knitted and crocheted poppies were put in place on St Mary's Church this week - in torrential rain!! Do watch this video to see how the endeavours of those in their community and from round the world have helped to create over 10,000 poppies to commemorate the lives of the 114 Wotton men who didn't return from the First World War.

A friend found this amazing fabric which she kindly gave me and this was the first of a whole range of postcard quilts that I have been inspired to make.     This particular quilt was donated to the Star and Garter Home, Richmond and was raffled at their summer fete. The Royal Star & Garter Charity have provided an outstanding quality of nursing and therapeutic care to ex-Service men and women.

The annual open Quilt Show was held over the August Bank Holiday weekend this year in the beautiful RHS associate Gardens. Despite the change in weather, many quilters wrapped up and went to see the 44 amazing quilts hung around the gardens.

The quilts were split into two categories – one was entirely open and the other had the theme of “The Sea”.

This certainly ticks all the boxes - recycling something that has been in the family and much loved to create a snuggle quilt; it meant stablizing the fabric first; marking the fabric with sewing lines; cutting accurately with a rotary cutter and then sewing neatly - much concentration needed.     The first block of what will be a very unique quilt,  and that has some challenges ahead for Steve, our Chief Executive.