Fill your idle time crocheting and knitting poppies for the Goulbourn Museum

(The Goulbourn Museum staff draping the building with the community poppies handmade for the Poppies of Goulbourn exhibit in time for Remembrance Day 2019. Photo: Goulbourn Museum)

You may recall how well-received was the wall of poppies that launched in 2018 at the Goulbourn Museum. The inaugural ‘Poppies of Goulbourn’ exhibit, unveiled for Remembrance Day in 2019, was such a success that museum staff have suggested that people help with this project again this year.

With time spent at home due to COVID-19 being experienced more than usual, what better way to idle away the hours than volunteering to crochet and knit those tiny poppies again.

Last year, a portion of the Museum building was draped in these red remembrances of war and for 2020 the Museum’s goal is even greater – to cover the entire roof with poppies.

The Museum is asking for volunteers to again come forward to help them achieve this goal. If you knit or crochet, and are looking for activities to fill your time, please consider making poppies for the Museum to include in the installation. It is their hope to involve the whole community in this ambitious project. While the Museum is currently following Canadian public health recommendations by closing the facility, the staff encourage anyone who is interested in participating to contact them by phone or email. The want to get residents of all ages making the poppies – from retirees to Girl Guides.

“This art installation is a visual reminder of the military contributions made over the years by the men and women of Goulbourn and celebrates our history as Ottawa’s first military community,” says Tracey Donaldson, Manager and Exhibitions Curator. Please join the Museum staff, from the comfort of your home, in honouring those who have served.

To assist you in making the poppies, the Museum staff have provided some instructions to follow:

• Poppies must be either 3 inches square or 5 inches square (approximately) and will be sewn into our 1¾ inch netting – one 3 inch poppy will cover one square and one 5 inch poppy will cover an area of four squares on the net.
• Poppy colours should follow the current Canadian Legion poppy campaign colours and should be a vibrant red with a charcoal black centre.
• All yarn used for this project will need to be synthetic because of the outdoor elements.
• Due to COVID-19, please do not drop off poppies at the Museum until further notice. The Museum will update participants in April regarding when and how to deliver the poppies. In the meantime, please keep completed poppies at home in a safe and dry area.

If you would like further information, call the Museum at 613-831-2393 or email: info@goulbournmuseum.ca.