concrete - a finished quilt top

I have finally had the pleasure of making my hubby a quilt. This is the first handcrafted item he has ever indicated an interest in, other than the toque debacle of 2007 or so, which shall not be named. He's just not a handknit, sweater wearing kind of guy.

I've been slowly collecting the fabric for this project since last fall. The stack grew and grew (yes, I have a slight problem with fabric shopping) while I searched for the right pattern. I considered designing my own, but in the end was drawn to the Giant Plus design. It's just so "manly" when done in the right fabrics. I was completely inspired by Everyday Fray's Kelsey's Manly Plus quilt. The hubby let me have creative reign with the exception of pink, purple and florals. No problem.

I drafted a color/sizing sketch and went from there.

In the end, I went with 24 rows of 21 units (single squares) across.

Size breakdown for cutting (cut sizes, not finished):
Single unit: 4" x4"
Double unit: 4" x 7.5"
Triple unit: 4" x 11"

I ended up using only one or two 4" strip off of most of the fabrics.  (Whoops... I guess I have more fabric in my stash now.)

I love how the fabrics play together in terms of contrast.

I really wanted to use this Waterfront Park birds in flight fabric as a backing, and managed to find just enough at a local quilt shop. (It'll require some piecing features on the back, but I love that part.)

I'm planning on giving it to the hubby for our 12th anniversary this weekend. I have the backing planned. All that's left to decide is how to quilt it. And then, I've got my work cut out for me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking up with Amanda Jean for finish it up Friday.