50 palettes

Quilt Color Palettes

Press the button for one quilt palette: background, main, two supports and a spark, each with its place.

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Farmhouse stars: navy and redWhite background, navy star points, red star centers, tan strips between the blocks, mustard binding.#FAF8F5 · #18274E · #C5202B · #C5A37D · #CC9F24

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All 50 palettes

Scrappy 10

Bramble scraps: rose pink and plum Cream background, rose pink large patches, plum small patches, sage green leaf patches, yellow binding.
Candy scraps: hot pink and yellow White background, hot pink large patches, yellow second patches, aqua small patches, purple binding.
Dark scraps: turquoise and hot pink Charcoal background, turquoise large patches, hot pink second patches, lime small patches, white binding.
Farmhouse stars: navy and red White background, navy star points, red star centers, tan strips between the blocks, mustard binding.
Garden scraps: green and coral White background, green leaf prints, coral flower prints, lavender small patches, yellow block centers.
Log cabin blocks: brown and red Cream light half of each block, brown dark half, tan light prints, forest green dark prints, red center squares.
Night scraps: butter yellow and coral Navy background, butter yellow star patches, coral second patches, mint third patches, hot pink binding.
Nine-patch: rust and mustard Cream plain squares, rust corner squares, mustard center squares, olive border, plum binding.
Scrap basket: red and dusty blue Cream background, red main patches, dusty blue second patches, mustard third patches, forest green binding.
Seaside scraps: teal and coral Beige background, teal wide strips, coral narrow strips, mustard small squares, navy binding.

Show all 50 palettes (40 more)

Two-color 10

Blue china: cobalt blue and sky blue White background, cobalt blue squares, sky blue light prints, navy dark prints, yellow binding.
Clover chain: green and mint White background, green chain squares, mint light prints, forest green dark prints, coral binding.
Ember on navy: navy and orange Navy background, orange blocks, peach light prints, rust dark prints, aqua binding.
Ink and cream: cream and indigo Cream background, indigo blocks, periwinkle light prints, navy dark prints, rust binding.
Lamplight: charcoal and mustard Charcoal background, mustard blocks, butter yellow light prints, brown dark prints, white binding.
Newsprint: white and charcoal White background, charcoal blocks, gray light prints, black dark prints, red binding.
Plum and cream: cream and purple Cream background, purple blocks, lavender light prints, plum dark prints, mustard binding.
Rose window: rose pink and pale pink White background, rose pink blocks, pale pink light prints, maroon dark prints, teal binding.
Snowed-in stars: red and maroon White background, red stars, coral light prints, maroon dark prints, navy binding.
Tide squares: navy and aqua Navy background, aqua blocks, pale blue light prints, turquoise dark prints, coral binding.

Rainbow 10

Cool half: lime and violet Pale gray background, lime diagonal 1, green diagonal 2, turquoise diagonal 3, blue diagonal 4, violet diagonal 5.
Deep rainbow: maroon and forest green Cream background, maroon band 1, rust band 2, mustard band 3, forest green band 4, indigo band 5.
Dusty rainbow: rust and dusty blue Beige background, rust strip 1, mustard strip 2, sage green strip 3, dusty blue strip 4, plum strip 5.
Jewel rows: teal and magenta Black background, teal row 1, cobalt blue row 2, purple row 3, magenta row 4, red row 5.
Neon columns: orange and violet Black background, hot pink column 1, orange column 2, lime column 3, turquoise column 4, violet column 5.
Night rainbow: yellow and pink Navy background, yellow arc 1, lime arc 2, aqua arc 3, periwinkle arc 4, pink arc 5.
Rainbow rows: red and blue Pale gray background, red row 1, orange row 2, yellow row 3, green row 4, blue row 5.
Sherbet steps: hot pink and mint White background, hot pink step 1, coral step 2, yellow step 3, mint step 4, sky blue step 5.
Soft rainbow: pink and periwinkle White background, pink strip 1, peach strip 2, butter yellow strip 3, mint strip 4, periwinkle strip 5.
Warm half: magenta and orange Cream background, magenta ring 1, red ring 2, orange ring 3, yellow ring 4, lime ring 5.

Modern neutrals 10

Circle study: black and red White background, black large circles, cream small circles, beige border, red single circle.
City grid: white and turquoise Charcoal background, white grid lines, gray crossing squares, dark gray border, turquoise single line.
Concrete and sun: charcoal and yellow White background, charcoal large blocks, gray mid blocks, pale gray small blocks, yellow single stripe.
Graphite: cream and orange Dark gray background, cream diamonds, black diamond shadows, beige border, orange single diamond.
Ink and coral: black and coral Pale gray background, black wide bars, white narrow bars, dark gray quilting thread, coral single square.
Linen and rust: charcoal and rust Cream background, charcoal large triangles, beige small triangles, tan border, rust single triangle.
Mist stripes: dark gray and violet Pale gray background, dark gray wide stripes, white narrow stripes, gray binding, violet single stripe.
Plus signs: white and hot pink Black background, white crosses, pale gray second crosses, charcoal border, hot pink single cross.
Stone path: dark gray and lime Beige background, dark gray stepping squares, white gaps between them, tan border, lime single square.
Tan arches: charcoal and cobalt blue Tan background, charcoal arches, cream inside the arches, gray border, cobalt blue single arch.

Baby quilt 10

Balloon ride: pale pink and pale blue White background, pale pink balloons, pale blue sky squares, butter yellow basket squares, red binding.
Bunny meadow: pale pink and mint Cream background, pale pink bunny squares, mint meadow squares, lavender flower squares, rose pink binding.
Cloud nap: white and butter yellow Pale blue background, white clouds, butter yellow stars, lavender cloud shadows, navy binding.
Duckling pond: butter yellow and pale blue White background, butter yellow ducklings, pale blue pond squares, mint reed squares, dusty blue binding.
Jungle nap: mint and butter yellow Beige background, mint leaf squares, butter yellow animal squares, aqua river squares, olive binding.
Lamb and clover: mint and pale gray White background, mint clover squares, pale gray lamb squares, butter yellow border, green binding.
Lavender bear: lavender and periwinkle White background, lavender bear squares, periwinkle star squares, pale pink heart squares, purple binding.
Little fox: peach and mint Cream background, peach fox squares, mint leaf squares, butter yellow sun squares, rust binding.
Little whale: aqua and sky blue White background, aqua whale, sky blue waves, pale gray spout, navy binding.
Sunrise blocks: peach and butter yellow Cream background, peach large blocks, butter yellow small blocks, pale pink border, coral binding.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-09: palettes sized for a quilt, sorted by the kind of quilt (scrappy, two-color, rainbow, modern neutrals, baby quilt). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and placement is our own choice; no fabric line, pattern or published quilt is copied. How a strip is ordered: the background first, then the main color, two supports and, last, the spark, the color used least; each is named for where it goes. A rainbow strip is the background and then five colors in the order they go around the color wheel. The name carries two of the colors. Our own tests, not a standard: outside the baby group the main color contrasts with the background by 3 to 1 or more (the WCAG contrast ratio formula, https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html, used as our own threshold); the spark is 25 or more in CIE Lab from every other color of its strip; on a scrappy strip the background is light or dark and the main and the two supports are 25 or more apart from each other; on a two-color strip the supports are a lighter and a darker step within 30 degrees of the main's hue (or grays beside a gray) and the spark is a neutral or 60 degrees or more away; on a rainbow strip each color is 15 to 120 degrees further around the wheel than the one before; on a modern strip the first four are neutrals (white, cream, beige, tan, the grays, charcoal, black) and the spark is the one strong color; on a baby strip the first four have an HSL lightness of 70 percent or more and the spark is the deepest color; no two colors of a palette are closer than 10 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. The facts in the page copy, checked on 2026-10-09 against English Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0). Quilting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilting: the three layers are usually called the quilt top, the batting and the backing; a modern quilt may show high contrast and graphic areas in solid color, minimalism and expansive negative space. Patchwork, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patchwork: a block is a pieced square built of colored shapes, of light and dark or contrasting colors, and a lattice of contrasting fabric strips often divides the blocks from each other. Quilt, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilt: a nine-patch block is three squares by three; log cabin blocks are strips of cloth laid, as a rule, around a small square in the middle, by tradition red, one half of the block in light strips and the other in dark. Bias tape, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_tape: often used on the edges of quilts, where it is sewn on as a binding. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand, fabric maker or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-09: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint, pencils, dye or fabric, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

Each of these quilt color palettes gives every color a job: a background, a main color, two supports and a spark, the color used least. The line under the name says where each goes, from the blocks to the binding.

Read the full guide

Read the strip

The first swatch is the background and the last is the spark. Blocks are pieced from light and dark or contrasting colors, so in the scrappy, two-color and modern groups the main color stands out from the background. The binding, the strip sewn around the edge, is where most of these palettes put the spark.

Pick a kind of quilt

The menu under the button has five. Scrappy sets three colors of prints on one background. Two-color is one color with a lighter and a darker step. Rainbow has no spark: five colors in wheel order on a quiet background. Modern neutrals are whites, grays, tans and black with a single strong color. Baby quilt keeps everything light and binds it in a deeper color.

Questions and answers

How do I choose colors for a quilt?

Start with the background, then one main color that stands out from it. Add two supports and one spark to use sparingly. On this list the main color contrasts with the background by 3 to 1 or more, except on rainbow and baby strips.

What colors are in a log cabin quilt?

A log cabin block is strips of fabric around a small center square, traditionally red, with light strips on one half and dark strips on the other. Log cabin blocks uses cream and tan for the light half, brown and forest green for the dark.

What is a scrappy quilt palette?

Here, one background with three colors of prints that are easy to tell apart, and a spark. Scrap basket is red, dusty blue and mustard patches on cream, bound in forest green.

What colors make a modern quilt?

A modern quilt may use high contrast, areas of solid color and a lot of negative space. The Modern neutrals strips follow that: four neutrals and one strong color, such as charcoal blocks on white with a single yellow stripe.

What colors are good for a baby quilt?

Light ones, on this list: mostly white or cream with butter yellow, mint, pale pink, pale blue or lavender, and one deeper color for the binding, such as navy, rust or rose pink.