joe'smom

leheath8, welcome to the Quilting Board and to the Bonnie mystery! My recollection for people doing a smaller size, is that it has worked best to make slightly more than 1/2 the pieces in order to end up with a practical size quilt. But if you want to aim for 1/3 or 1/2 the pieces to start with, you can always make more if needed, once you decide on your final size (and decide if you like the quilt).

Regarding your fabrics, the big thing about Bonnie's patterns is value (light and dark). Her three specific hints this year were, make sure you have adequate contrast between yellow and orange because they might end up next to each other (I think your yellow and orange are fine); don't go too light with any of your colors because you want strong contrast between everything and your neutral (this was assuming lights for the neutral); and, avoid yellowish to tan neutrals so they don't blend with your gold.

I've added a photo of your colors in grayscale. Your neutral is the same value as your 'gray' and your green, so if you want the intended contrast in the pattern, you will have to go with a lighter neutral -- something that will contrast well with your 'red,' yellow, orange, and your darks. This isn't to say you can't go your own way, but when you don't follow Bonnie's values, you don't get a quilt that looks like hers. There are some people every year who don't follow Bonnie's values, and the results can be fascinating. It's amazing the different look her patterns take on when people are adventurous with their fabric choices. It's all up to you!

edit

I think purple for the gray will work fine. Many people are substituting for the gray. It will be so exciting to see the variations!