The Desert Valley Hospice Society is finding new ways to fundraise in lieu of cancelled or postponed in-person events this year, currently running a raffle to win an exquisite wall quilt handmade by local BC experts in the craft.
The quilt, titled "Into the Light," was created in an improvisational process using many small pieces in a variety of fabrics, with painted cheesecloth threes adding texture.
Its designers and creators, B.C. artists Kathie Kirby, Bev Penny, Gisela Carroll, and Leslie Forbes, were trained in the craft by the late master quilter Karen Thatcher.
Thatcher was a former paramedic, traumatic brain injury survivor and lung cancer patient from Rossland, B.C. who taught her friends her award-winning techniques before passing in 2020.
This 40" by 60" quilt is part of Thatcher's legacy of teaching her skills and donating them to good causes, as the group of artists behind "Into the Light" have provided it to the hospice for the raffle free of charge.
Raffle tickets for the draw are 1/$25 or 5/$100, with proceeds supporting the hospice society's programming. Tickets can be purchased here, and only 1,000 will be sold.
The winner will be announced on EZRock at 9 a.m. on May 31.
For more about Fletcher's quilting technique and legacy, watch the video below.