Summer Quilt Fabric

I picked a pattern, calculated yardage, bought my material and then changed my mind on what I want to do and how to do it.  Oh, just shoot me now!

I fell in love with this (I saw on this Dreamworthy Quilts post).  I decided it would be a great pattern for a summer quilt.  I even liked the colors, but eventually went with a bit more blue and green.  I also decided to use multiple fat quarters for the blue, rather than having a single fabric throughout the quilt.  (Hmm... this is starting to sound like my cooking recipe adaptations.)  I wanted a chance to incorporate the beautiful blue fat quarters my sister gave me for Christmas.  Fat quarters, picture and calculations in hand, I went fabric shopping.

That, of course, is where vision met reality.  As I looked at material and discussed the pattern with my mom and aunt, I started modifying what I wanted to do.  I took out one of the colors.  I thought about swapping fabric in the medallions.  My aunt suggested replacing almost all of the white with blue, but I knew my fat quarters wouldn't stretch that far.

The original design is all squares and HTS.  So easy.  But I mulled over my aunt's and Mom's ideas.  I pulled out some crayons to color in the picture I had printed and their suggestions started to grow on me.  When I later showed it to a couple of quilting friends, they agreed as well.  So, if I abandon the HTS, and instead cut the fabric in squares and sashing as it appeared in the picture, I could stretch out the blue fat quarters to do the new color design.  (Because I refuse to abandon the blue.)  Added bonus - fewer seams would make a lighter quilt.

Nothing like deconstruction a pattern to put it together in a completely new way.  I spent an evening crunching numbers and tracing it out on paper to verify my calculations.  I needed to double (and triple) check before I started cutting anything, but it looks like it will work.  The good news is, I will certainly have enough of the other material I bought.

Original layout, my first plan
another option, my aunt's/Mom's idea

I went ahead and cut enough to test one medallion.  If I had thought ahead, I would have laid them out on the tan fabric that will be all around it - but the carpet is a fair approximation of the background color.  Mom and aunt's idea is on the lower right, and now that it's together, it's not grabbing me.  Upper left is the original layout.  Just to the right of that was my original plan.  I threw in the last option just for the heck of it, as I was rearranging fabrics.  I may need to do the other block and see how it looks together, since the cream/green combo appears in the middle of the other block as well.  That might be a nice tie-in.

Oy.  So more cutting for test blocks.  We'll see what grabs me.  Opinions are welcome!