Kelly Blanch

My quilting journey began with making a rag quilt for a grandson, that was roughly 20 years ago. I’ve been knee deep in fabric since!

My husband passed away in 2012, and in memory of him I try to include a piece of a Pink Panther themed fabric in each scrap quilt, and if not Pink Panther, fabric from one of his shirts.

Quilts are like fingerprints - no two are the same, and I know this because I’ve made the same quilt 4 times and as much as they are the same, they’re different. 

I am a scrap quilter; I do make kits on occasion though. I firmly believe the smaller the square the better and usually work on 1.5” pieces, which finish at 1” -  come see me at the show, I’ll explain.

My philosophy is simple: variety and contrast are the secrets to my quilts and the “wow” factor.

Many of my quilts have a “piano border,” (thin strips of fabric sewn around the outside of a quilt). I feel it enhances the quilt and provides a practical way to fine tune the final quilt size. I have an abundance of scraps at home so rarely do I have to buy anything, just backing and batting. I am equally thrifty with thread, I use odds and ends for piecing, no one sees it anyway.

Red often appears in my work, I know it’s a loud colour but it also quietly ties my quilts together.

My advice if you’re buying a new machine, avoid all the fancy stitches, (at the beginning anyway).

I retired in December 2025 from a successful career in Emergency Services and enjoying a slower pace, although this quilt show has kept me busy. I have three adult children who each have their own families, it’s a lot to try and keep up to them also.

In addition to this quilting journey, I enjoy quiet times with a good book and my cat “Spindle”. I look forward to more volunteer opportunities and the 2026 CAQG Quilt Show!

Isabelle Zimmer

Hi there. My name is Isabelle Zimmer and I am very honoured to be chosen as one of the featured quilters for this year’s show. I am in my mid sixties and have sewn for over 50 years starting with making clothes.

On the farm in Manitoba, I watched my mother make quilts from old clothes and many days she and her mother sat at the quilt frame hand quilting all the quilts. Fortrel featured in a lot of them. During a very rainy harvest season one year, Mom had my Dad taking apart old clothes and make quilt patches with a cardboard template and pencil. Later, she showed him how to sew them together. After my mother passed, Dad went on to make lots of quilts and hand quilted them all on the quilting frame he had built when they were newly married. He also braided rugs, baked bread and made pickles and jams. So, I do come from a quilty, crafty, resourceful family.

I continued with dressmaking and my journey into quilting came after my son was born. I made him a flannel rag quilt from a kit when he was 4 years old and he still has it at the age of 32. Now hooked on quilting, from there, I started with quilting cotton, a quilt magazine and not much knowledge. Even today, I still feel like I am just learning. My tastes range from civil war prints, happy flowery prints, and anything scrappy looking but nothing too bright. I look at modern quilting designs and admire the creativity that it takes but have not felt moved to make any yet. But who knows? Tastes do change.

My stash far exceeds my life expectancy and I do need to leave good instructions for my son on what to do with the hoard. Or just be buried with it.

As all quilters need something to carry the tools of their trade, I also dabble in bag making and have fallen down that rabbit hole. My upstairs area is devoted to bag making and downstairs is devoted to quilting. Sometimes you feel like you need a bigger house. I do draw the line at machine embroidery and scrapbooking though. Too many hobbies can make you crazy. But all quilters are a little crazy.

The quilting community and this guild have brought me some great friendships. I find you never run out of conversation in a quilt store. And the fun that road trips, retreats, and sew days bring can’t be beat.

If only quilters could run the world, it would be a much better place than it is today.