One of my favorite ways to use Palette Scout is by matching my deck to artwork I love, then applying the palette to something entirely new. This quilt I made for my daughter is the perfect example of how that process works. 

When I made this quilt a few years ago, Palette Scout didn’t exist yet. But if it had, this is how I would have used it. 

I had already made curtains for her nursery using a print I adore from Rifle Paper Co., and I knew I wanted the quilt to coordinate with them since they’d be living in the same space.

The plan was a flying geese quilt with a creamy background and “geese” pulled directly from the colors in the curtain fabric. To demonstrate this process, I matched my Palette Scout cards to the flowers and leaves in the Rifle Paper Co. print, paying attention to both the main colors and the quieter supporting tones. 

Once I have the palette dialed in, I match those cards to fabrics in my stash. A fat quarter bundle of Edyta Sitar’s Laundry Basket Favorites turned out to be a perfect fit here. I especially loved how the printed linen texture matched the look of the print which was on a linen/cotton blend.  However, if I was looking to translate my palette into solid fabrics, I could have used the Color Match Guide for Kona Cotton. 

Then came the sewing. Flying geese are one of those blocks that seem simple on paper, but feel…less simple at the machine. Let’s just say there was plenty of seam ripping along the way, but at least the color decisions were already made, which made it easier to stay focused on the sewing itself. 

After all the piecing, pin basting, and hand quilting, the quilt was finally finished–ready for my daughter and perfectly at home alongside those curtains that inspired it in the first place. 

Palette Scout gives structure to a process many of us already use intuitively. By pulling a palette directly from artwork you love, it makes it easier to identify key colors, notice supporting tones, and carry that palette through to fabric choices. It’s a simple way to plan projects more intentionally—especially when you want everything in a space to feel like it belongs together.