Inn Stitches in Vermont: Clutter Queen, Loose Ends & Soap Recipe

Dear Friends & Family, well, this is a long over due post! I have been making a lot of progress on my UFO's, but here's where I left off writing over two months ago. I will get back on the "blog wagon" and stay more current! Thanks for your patience!
From way back in February:

I decided the "quilter's block" was being caused by the clutter, piles and "stuff" that was accumulating around me again . . . my dear friend, Judi, spent the summer here with us and helped me clear out, declutter, organize and clean out my "stuff" that had gotten out of control over the past few years. So some of the piles started to creep back in: around my sewing table, the office and the kitchen table . . . flat surfaces are my Achilles heel! So I have been "cleaning" . . . yikes! . . . another 4-letter word for me (sorry Mom!) . . . I've had some productive days cleaning out more piles and feeling a sense of accomplishment . . . and the best part: I didn't have to have Judi here to keep me on task . . . though she is always welcome to come back!

I gave Little Lexi her knitted hat in January and it looked adorable on her. I discovered, though, that it just fit her and I will have to knit another one for next year!

The finished hat

I actually have been doing a little sewing, too. I bought a pattern for a book cover at the Vermont Quilt Festival several years ago and finally got motivated to make it. I pulled out my huge container of scraps and had the cover done in about 4 hours with lots of other "requests for my time" (a.k.a. inn keeping work!) . . . now my dear friend Judi was probably appalled at the size of the scrap bin, but it came in handy to make the book cover . . . so here are some of the pictures of the process . . . I had to start with paper piecing the center star and then add strips of scraps to make the fabric large enough for the cover. Here is how it went together: