AK quilt layout and plan B

My challenge was the layout because I had created blocks of different sizes.  And #2 challenge was how to set them together.  I realized I did not have enough of the fabric I intended to use.  I even searched on ebay for it, and ta-da!  No fabric but a booklet of an Alaskan sampler that had a great border treatment....I bid and won it for $2.  So plan B began to evolve. 

I further limited myself to size....I wanted to be able to hang this quilt in a certain spot and the size needed to be no more that 49 inches wide.  Length wasn't a problem.  After various tries that didn't work, I went back to basic design principles of balance and symmetry.  The two wide blocks were set in opposite corners, and the one long block went into the center.  Now it began to work together.     The other blocks just seemed to find their own spot.  An outer strip of the dark fabric is still to be added, but here's the layout.

The border is a braid strip that is shaded light to dark from the center of each side to the corner.  The sampler booklet uses 2 sets of chevron strips to create the border.  I decided to use a braid---since I  just finished a french braid quilt.  That was a huge help to figure the math required to determine the size of strips to use.  Part of the learning process.

Insight:  Use your experience from one project to the next project.  So far  I have one section about half done.  Guess I know what I will do this weekend.