I have not done a bargello yet either. But yours is a wonderful first try. There is a thread on the board once that gave great suggestions on picking fabric and evaluating value. Lay your fabric out in order then take a photo and once on the computer use the gray scale of the photo. It really lets you see the true values not just color or patterns.
My kitties will not sleep on the quilts I make for them. They like the freshly laundered and folded fabric that I am working with.