Black and Gray X-Plus Quilt

I have another quilt finish to share with you all! 

My youngest sister, Mandi, has a birthday coming up in April and she requested a black/gray/white quilt. As much as I love wearing black and gray, I didn't have a lot of it in my fabric stash, so I had to start shopping around for the most economic way to get scraps. One of my Instagram friends (@leilagt) was kind enough to send me scraps from her stash for an amazing price! I also knew I wanted to try the X-Plus quilt pattern (re-sized to 12" finished blocks), so here is the final product. Drum roll please... 

Wes and I went exploring around back roads today and I kept my eyes peeled for some good photo shoot locations. As soon as I caught a glimpse of this rundown brick and wood building, I made him do a u-turn in the middle of the road to go back and take advantage of it. :)

I knew I wanted to add a pop of color, and this teal Doe fabric was so "me", I had to include it.

I got the backing fabric from IKEA for $5 a yard (can't beat that!) and my longarm quilter actually recommended using the aquamarine colored thread and I am SO happy with the results!

I usually like my quilt gifts to be total surprises for the recipient, but A) my sister had a hand in picking out the fabric and she saw some of my finished blocks when she came out to visit in January, and B) I literally could not wait to post pictures of the finished product. :)

I'm so happy I was able to finish this quilt on time. I recently started a job at Ace Hardware and I'm working 35-38 hours a week, so my quilting time has definitely become more rare and precious. But before you feel sorry for me, it's been great to have a reason to get out of the house AND my husband told me yesterday that my legs and abs have become more toned since I started working three weeks ago! (I guess standing and walking IS better than sitting around the house all day...) Haha. :) I hope everyone reading this is finding the time to enjoy their hobbies just like I am. Every time I finish a project, I am so excited to share it with my online quilting friends. :)

PS - I'm going to my first Modern Quilt Guild meeting tomorrow night in Philadelphia. I'm going to bring this quilt and my Cuzco Crossroads quilt for show and tell. Wish me luck!