Festival’s Pet Project

The majority of us at Quilters Newsletter are dog lovers, so when we learned that International Quilt Festival is launching a Pet Project this year, we just had to share it with you.

Quilt Festival and Friends For Life, an animal shelter and adoption agency, is teaming up for “Festival’s Pet Project,” which will debut this year at Quilt Festival in Houston. The project is an effort to help address the sizable and growing problem of stray and unwanted animals in the Houston area.

Postcard by Sue Bleiweiss

The Project will unfold in a three-year process. This year a special exhibit at Festival will feature selected animal-themed quilts. In 2013 the exhibit will be by invitation only, and in 2014, it will be a judged show with prizes.

In all three years, artist-donated fabric postcards – many with animal themes – will be sold for $20 each with all proceeds going to Friends For Life to aid in their programs and goals. Click here for information about creating a card for the project.

Postcard by Jeannie Moore.

This year postcards will be on display and available for purchase during International Quilt Festival at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center November 1-4. Preview Night is October 31.

Pokey Bolton, chief creative officer of Festival producer Quilts Inc., and Pet Project coordinator, said, “When I moved to Houston late last year, the first thing I did, even before I bought a couch, was get myself a dog. I adopted my adorable and goofy pooch, Clarence, from Friends For Life because I had heard such wonderful things about this no-kill shelter. I’m hoping with the money raised that we can help Friends For Life save even more animals’ lives.”

Postcard by Sarah Ann Smith

Salise Shuttlesworth, J.D., executive director of Friends For Life, said, “One of the things we love about the project is that it so directly connects creative energy and talent with saving the lives of animals. The postcards truly are works of art and will be available at a price that will make them accessible to people who might not normally get to collect pieces of original art.”

Friends For Life is the only no-kill animal shelter in Houston that rescues, treats, rehabilitates and places animals into loving homes. Many of the shelter’s supporters foster animals in their homes till the pets can be permanently adopted.

Festival’s Pet Project will benefit the shelter’s operating costs and adoption programs, as well as their “Thinking Outside the Shelter” program that offers financially strapped owners and foster “parents” support in the form of food and medicines for current pets so they may keep their animals in their homes and out of shelters.

“I’m excited about the inaugural year of this extremely worthy program. It’s very important to both our company and to me personally,” said Festival founder and director emeritus Karey Bresenhan.