She also wanted to capture the "mystery" behind the soldiers' tales during the war.
Sacrifice represents the "blood from the fallen" and the "struggle and the tears" of the many wives and mothers who suffered the loss of their husbands and sons.
Ms Pennell has dedicated her piece to Cyril Royston Guyton Bassett, a soldier in World War I who lived to tell his story.
Ms Pennell managed to find a series of awards he was given, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
The awards were donated by his daughter, Cherry, who, according to his biography, had found them under Mr Bassett's family home. Ms Pennell has never met him but the two share a common ancestor - her great-great-great-grandfather.
Ms Pennell took the plunge in entering her piece into a competition that she found while flicking through a Threads magazine.
The competition was based on the colour red.
Ms Pennell thought of the many ways she could portray such a tragic story of bravery and heroism through the colour red and has done so successfully.
Her inspiration for the story is beautiful and her contribution to the yearly celebration of the many who died for us is a heartwarming tribute to their lives.
Lest we forget the ones who died for us.
Corallee Collins-Annan
