About the Book

The Ruby Beholder is a value finder and window template in one handy tool. It is designed to help you sort fabrics by value and to select and isolate 1 1/2" squares (finished size) that contain special motifs or colors. You can use the cutout end as a template for marking and cutting the desired squares. The ruby red rectangle is indispensable for sorting fabrics and evaluating shadings, especially in watercolor-type designs like those featured in Watercolor Quilts and Watercolor Impressions.

How to Use the Ruby Beholder as a Value Finder

When you look through the ruby red rectangle, all you see is value. This helps when organizing fabrics in shadings from light to dark.

1. Select three fabrics with different values (one dark, one medium, and one light) and place them next to each other.

2. Stand back from these fabrics and look at them through the Ruby Beholder. Notice that the Ruby Beholder masks the colors so you see only relative values.

3. Now add more fabrics to the selection and use the value finder to sort them into rows that run from light to dark.