Grandma's quilt- picking out the fabric

The next project I was going to work on was one I had given lots of thought to.  At first I was really certain it would be quilts for my nieces and not yet born nephew.  I started quilting in November and in January one of my favorite quilt stores had a super bowl sale.  I went and got fabric for these quilts so I was certain they would be next.  Then one day it hit me, probably because my grandfather passed away, I need to make quilts for my grandparents first.  Chances are good the kids can wait.  Now my mind is racing on what I should make.  One day I go to another favorite quilt shop that is now closed :(  It was Quiltmakers and hard to believe but I drove past this store so many times and payed no attention to it before I started quilting.  In the store I see these amazing Japanese taupe fabrics.  I know these are the perfect ones for my Grandma.  I buy about 10 different ones and now I just need a pattern, the right one for my Grandma.
I go back to Quiltmakers and see an amazing quilt hanging right in the middle of the store.  It's fun pinks, reds and lime green and sure enough they are teaching this one.  I think about it for a couple of days and talk it over with T.  I tell her I think my next quilt will be a strata quilt and she thinks it is probably a good choice and mentions that for one of those quilts I will need about 30 fat quarters. Of course I only have about 10 and thought I was right on track. I go back to the store,  knowing this is a great choice for Grandma.  I ask the ladies working if this is an okay class for a beginner and will the teacher be okay with a beginner in class.  They both agree that it will be quite alright for me to be in the class.  The pattern is Sweet and Sour from StrataVarious by Barbara Persing & Mary Hoover.
Now to picking out fabric.  T. was of course correct I needed 20 for the main color (pink in the book) and 12 of the second color (green in the book).  I'm in the store trying to decide do I make the pink and green one that I love so much or do I make a taupe one and if so what color should I put with it.  I can not think of what color to put with taupe that my Grandma will like.  Pink not for my grandmother, green doesn't seem right either, blue seems right but taupe and blue that seems quite boring.  After a long time in the store I finally decide taupe and teal blue.  It will have a great spa look, I think.  I start picking out fabrics and as T. has been telling me since probably day one I need light, mediums and darks.  But this is the first time I am really working on it.  I think I'm picking out light, medium and dark and the lady at the store is telling me I am not.  She goes and picks out a white taupe and a black one and tells me to fill in the rest, she'll be there if I need any help.  It's the first time I get the idea that light is light not just a light medium color and dark is well dark not just slightly darker than the medium.  Now I'm back to work picking out all these taupes and then onto teal blue.  It was quite easy to see why many quilters don't use really light and really dark, it is quite hard to find the right one.  There were tons of medium values but it was really hard finding the right ones to fill in the further you got away from medium.  I finally get ones I'm quite happy with and other customers seem to like them as well.  I buy my fabric and the book and I'm quite excited for class to start.

Here's a look at some of the taupe's.