There's a specific kind of paralysis that comes with a fabric you love but can't commit to. You know it belongs in something beautiful, you just don't know what. For me, that fabric is a Rifle Paper Company x Cotton + Steel print from 2018. (Yes, 2018. I know.) I love it. But every time I've pulled it out, I've put it right back. I couldn't figure out what to pair it with. So I finally decided to stop avoiding it and actually commit to a palette. Here's how I did it with Palette Scout as my guide.

Step one: find your anchor color.

My first instinct was green. The background is definitely green. But when I held it up and squinted a little, the overall hue read more blue-green to me, nearly teal. I pulled out my Palette Scout deck and landed on Ocean 2 as my anchor. That moment of really looking at a fabric instead of just labeling it is one of my favorite things about working with the cards.

Step two: pick a palette structure.

Next I pulled the Palette Ideas card for Ocean. Normally I default to monochrome or analogous because honestly, it's an easy win and I know it'll look good. But today I was feeling adventurous, so I went triadic. The Palette Ideas card tells you exactly which color families to pull from, so there's no guesswork. Just grab the right hues and start playing.

Step three: check your values before you go to your stash.

After a few combinations, I had a palette I loved. But before I started pulling fabric, I used the value cards from the Tool Kit to check my contrast. I want a range for quilting: darks, lights, and mids, so the quilt actually has depth and doesn't fall flat. I realized I needed a few more dark values, so I added Ibis 2 to the mix. That one small adjustment made the whole palette feel more resolved.

Step four: shop your stash.

This is where it gets fun! I matched each card to fabric I had on hand. I wasn't looking for a perfect match, just something close in hue and value. My options for Carrot 3 were a bit limited, but I found a fabric that matched the tone side of the card perfectly. I also pulled Carrot 5 in to incorporate a lighter value round out the range.

And that was it! A quilt palette I'm genuinely excited about, from a fabric I'd been ignoring for eight years.

Half of these fabrics never would have made it into the same pile without Palette Scout. It turns out the hardest part was just knowing where to start. With Palette Scout, that's as easy as starting with one (possibly neglected) fabric you love.