While in the home improvement store, look for a peephole designed to be installed into a door in order to identify who is on the other side. Looking thru this little gadget, you will be able to see your quilt as though at a distance. Similarly, art supply stores carry reducing glasses that also give distance when viewing a project.

I recently used one of these to see if my fabrics were balanced in a batik quilt I am making. It helped me make some adjustments for a more pleasing layout of the colors.