If you add a border to the elephants to make the unfinished blocks the exact same size as your unfinished patchwork blocks you will still be able to do your grid quilting matching up the corners of the patchwork. The border will not mess that up. This would look very cute with borders of blue around your elephants. This quilt is very cute BTW.

You could also border the elephants with the same fabric you used for the background, if you don't want a different color to mess up the effect you're wanting. Maybe even miter the borders on the elephants so it looks like you wanted to do it that way.

Looks to me a border around the elephants the same blue as the patches / either light or use both.. would look just great as if you planned to frame them in!

Now that I see the quilt, I agree with Pam1966. You could go one step farther & put a rick rack or pipping (of the darker blue) sewn in the seam when you put a mitered border of the same background fabric on it. Would make the elephants look like a planned frame around them. By the way. The quilt is going to be awesome. You have done a fantastic job on it.

I think your little elephants would look fab with a blue border, just the way you planned it! (wink, wink)

How about cutting new background fabric in blue. Then trim the white in a circular or oval and applique that to the new background. You could even secure it with a ribbon or something fancy. It would look like pictures of an elefant.

This was exactly my thought, too, as soon as I saw the picture. Have you got any more of the white background? If so, I think it's the perfect solution ... quite a bit more work for you, but that ship has sailed ... it's going to be more work whatever you decide to do.

Adorable !!!
Border both w/medium dk.blue to equal up block sizes, should look similar but w/2 size blocks should make all the colors pop....
Good Luck, you know you don't want to toss somthing so cute!!!
Didn't I see a thread that refered to no rules!! :)

I'm confused. That pic makes it look like it will go together fine as it is. What am I missing?

Are you sure once you sew the seams that it will not fit together? It just looks like it won't until you add the seams!