Posted by Shari on June 6th, 2025
Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tutorial |
| Make Cat's Cradle quilt block units quickly, easily and accurately, two at a time from squares and rectangles. You never cut a single triangle, but with the Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tool you end up with perfect triangles in your finished blocks every time. The Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tool creates 6 block sizes from 1 1/2 inches to 4 inch finished blocks; the cutting requirements for each is printed right on the ruler! The Creative Grids Cat's Cradle XL Tool creates 8 different block sizes, ranging from 4-1/2 inches to 8 inches finished blocks. Both Cat's Cradle Tools work the same even though their ruler shapes are different. For this tutorial, I am going to show step-by-step how to create a 4 1/2 inch unfinished Cat Cradle quilt block. Instructions come with your Creative Grids Cat Cradle Tool and can also be found on the Creative Grids website. The finished block size fabric cutting instructions are printed right on the tool. Remember, Creative Grids lists their information as a finished block size. If you are incorporating this technique with a quilt pattern, don't get confused by unfinished and finished sizes. I have made several practice blocks too large and too small while I was learning to read quilt patterns not adapted for using the specialty ruler. |
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For a 4 1/2 inch unfinished block/4 inch finished block, you will need:
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| 1. Sew the squares to the rectangles. 2. Set your seam. Press toward the rectangles. |
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| 3. Stitch the square/rectangle units together with the squares in opposite directions. 4. Before pressing, find the center of the seam by folding the unit in half. Clip into the seam allowance up to the stitch line. If you go too far in clipping, don't worry. This will be discarded when trimming to size. |
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| 5. Set your seam. Press the square/rectangle units toward the rectangle, spinning the seam allowance at that clipped location. |
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| 6. Place the Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tool on the fabric wrong side of the pieced unit, lining up the "Place on Seam Line" markings on the stitched lines. 7. Draw a sewing line making sure the drawn line intersects with the sewn point of the square fabric. 8. Rotate and repeat. |
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| 9. Place the pieced units on top of the large rectangle fabric, right sides together. 10. Pin in place so it doesn't shift. |
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| 11. Sew on the drawn lines. |
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| 12. Cut 1/4" from the sewing line. 13. Rotate and repeat. Note: I like to save time by making just one cut. I center the ruler between the stitched lines and trim. Yahoo! You just created 2 - Cat's Cradle quilt blocks! |
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| 14. Set your seam. Press towards the large triangle. |
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| 15. Place the Creative Grids Cat's Cradle Tool on your pressed pieced block, lining up the printed marking with the seams. In this tutorial, I am creating a 4 1/2 inch unfinished/4 inch finished block. If you were making a smaller block, you would move the Cat's Cradle Tool to line up with the desired finished block size. |
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| 16. Trim two sides. |
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| 17. Rotate the block, lining up the "Trim to Size" marking line for 4 inch finished. |
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| There it is! Two beautiful Cat's Cradle quilt blocks without having to cut a single fabric triangle. This block is fun to create and addicting! A few key tips:
Enjoy and Happy Sewing! |
 and the BCQC Team |