Gail Callahan, quilter, weaver, and dyer, said she never ‘got’ the color wheel with its confusing array of colors. After working with textiles and fiber for years she eventually found a way to make color theory less confusing; she turned the color wheel into a grid.

My photos don’t do this interesting tool very clear, but Gail wanted to find a way to eliminate some of the confusion she and others feel. The black template blocks out many colors and reveals related colors and the complimentary colors.

She originally thought this would be useful for people who worked with textiles and fiber but were not confident about their color choices. As people have seen the color grid they have seen its use for anyone who works with color – florists and gardeners.

There are a number of ways to use the Grid and Gail gives clear and simple directions. Here is a garden tool that won’t go in the trug, but will find a happy spot in the garden journal where planning happens.

The Color Grid is available in some local yarn and quilting shops, as well as garden shops, or by writing to Gail at The Kangaroo Dyer, 81 Franklin Street, Greenfield, MA 01301.  The cost is $7.95. Massachusetts residents pay a .50 tax. Shipping and Handling is $3.50.

The Color Grid is not Gail’s first foray into publishing. Her book Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece was published in 2010 by Storey Publishing.