I like the first one. It's sedate and soothing. I usually don't do sedate and soothing, though. My favorite layout is the one at Connecting Threads. It really pops the colors. Then, my next favorite is the one that's sashed in all black.
I think it looses it's continuity with too many non-related colors. When I look at the white sashing with black cornerstones, all I see is the cornerstones.
Everyone has different tastes, so choose what looks good to you.
bkay