A thought, and this may just be me, but....when I am hurting and feeling bad, I really want low contrast, soft, loving everything. Really colorful and bright things just make me more aware of how bad I really feel. That being said, I would stick with your original soft blues as the background and sprinkle the brighter squares in the quilt. That will give the softness and comfort with a little bit of pick-me-up, perky colors.