Raffle quilt helps Sisters Furry Friends

Valerie Fercho-Tillery's passion for quilting and animals is apparent in her original design this year.

For the third year, she has brought those passions together to produce a pet-themed quilt as a fundraiser for the Sisters-based Furry Friends Foundation. This year that quilt features both dogs and cats, in a one-of-a kind quilt design amply titled "No, No!" just for Furry Friends.

The intricate detail and mischievous subjects make this a quilt anyone would love to bring home.

The quilt will be raffled over the summer, with proceeds devoted to helping local pet-owners in need. Last year's quilt raffle raised more than $2,000.

"The funds are used to purchase pet food for our year-round food bank, sponsor spay and neuter surgeries and help with the ever-growing need for emergency medical help," said Furry Friends founder, Kiki Dolson. "The quilt was a huge fundraiser for Furry Friends the past two years. Valerie is really wonderful for devoting so much time to piecing another quilt for us. And this year's is a piece of art."

Valerie volunteered for nearly three decades at the Folsom Zoo animal sanctuary near her home. She and her husband, Randall, rescued their dog CJ (a terrier-chow mix "we think") from the side of a highway in southern Oregon. So the Furry Friends mission fits right in with her own commitment to rescuing and helping animals.

The quilt will be on regular display at The Nugget office through the summer, at Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday, July 11 at Fir Street Park, at Sisters Art Works Dog Show, Friday, July 24 and at the Doggie Dash at Village Green Park on August 15.

"The quilt is super fun this year," Dolson said. "I love all the colors and the humor the quilt suggests. Her free-motion quilting adds texture and a depth to each scene depicted on the quilt. The cat scratching at the couch corner even sports some loose threads."

Raffle tickets are available online at http://www.furryfriends foundation.org and at The Nugget Newspaper office. Tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5 or 25 for $20.

The drawing will be held after the Labor Day weekend, Monday, September 7.

For more information call 541-549-9941 or stop by The Nugget office at 442 E. Main Ave. in Sisters.