Don't read this post Marion or Emily!

Now I'm hoping that Marion and Emily have greater restraint than I would with such a post title. For me, that's an invitation to keep reading! But then again, I was the child who would do some "research" once the Christmas presents started appearing beneath the tree!

I'm following Mischelle's great advice to just warn off Marion and Emily in the title so that I can actually show y'all what I'm working on. Especially since that's the only sewing I've done in ages!

First, you remember Emily and Marion's great medallion centers with the gorgeous work done by the other ladies in our round robin? Marion's is the one on top with the adorable Matryoshka dolls all in a circle and Emily's is the gorgeous star in reds and blues. 

Here's what I did with Marion's:

Given all that was going on with this quilt so far, I thought I might just add a quiet border that pulls from what others have already done. So I added this cute material from the Sew Mama Sew collection:

This is the material that Marion used in the very center of the quilt (at the feet of the nesting dolls). It's also what is in some of the lighter colored squares in the great purple and black checkerboard border. 

I love the center and I love Jeanette's phenomenal appliqué, so I wanted to do something that would highlight them by not distracting from them. I figured something too busy might not be good right next to the birds. 

I added a 3 inch border (not including seam allowance). That's the minimum border we're supposed to add in each round. 

And here's what I did with Emily's quilt:

Excuse the lack of pressing! I added the red and blue borders. Jeanette again did her magic with her appliqué on either side of the square. I decided to square it up by adding an imbalanced red border (which mirrors the fabric used in the center of the star), and then added blue to frame it all and to mirror the blue checkerboard border surrounding Emily's medallion. Emily said that she wanted to emphasize blues and reds, so hopefully this is what she was thinking!

For those interested in the house progress, we've finished stripping wallpaper and ripping up carpeting, and we've repainted the stairwell, upstairs hall, and den Coastal Vista blue:

We were still finishing touching up the upper part of the stairwell, so that's why the handrail is blue (tape) and the banister is covered with a plastic bag. 

And for those who have requested puppy photos, I will leave you with a picture of Sophie in her and Zoey's favorite spot in the house (on an ottoman in the den). Isn't she cute with her chin resting on the window sill?!