I think you may be right about going with masculine colors that appeal to me. How do I know he would even like a vegetable garden or nautical quilt? Maybe those things will make him not as happy as I think. And just MAYbe that was why nothing fit - it wasn't the quilt I was supposed to make. I like the idea of fleece for a back as well. If I'm going to prewash the fleece, should I prewash all the fabrics? Do you think 2 yards total is enough for the top of a 4x5ish lap quilt?
So maybe some neutral colors - blues, whites, silvers, a bit of yellow (like a warm sunny day) or sand, greens, pops of color? (like a walk in the forest).