Broken Dishes Quilt
Finished community quilt, shared by QuiltNTime, 31 October 2026
by QuiltNTime
Broken Dishes Quilt by QuiltNTime is a finished quilt in the Quiltler community: 54" × 54", 16 blocks, 132 pieces and 3 fabrics on a straight grid, shared 31 October 2026.
At a glance
- Finished size
- 54" × 54"
- Blocks
- 16 blocks
- Pieces
- 132
- Fabrics
- 3
Watch it being made
How it's made
Hi there! Let's sweep up some broken dishes today, in blue and white like Grandma's china.
Broken dishes is a thrifty old four-patch, and it loves scraps. Its triangles mirror each other across the diagonal, like pieces of a dropped plate.
First, layer a white square on the navy and another on the cornflower. Sew a quarter inch either side of the diagonal.
Now cut on the line, press toward the blue, and trim them to six and a half inches. That's four triangle squares.
Here's the trick: give the navy two a quarter turn, so they meet in the middle, with the cornflower in the corners.
Sew them in pairs, then join the rows, nesting that centre seam.
Look at those shards! Sixteen blocks make a blue and white quilt that's anything but broken.
Save this one for your scrap basket. Design your own quilt like this at quiltler.com.
About this quilt
The broken dishes block in blue and white: a thrifty four-patch of half-square triangles that mirror each other across the diagonal. 12″ finished (12½″ unfinished).
CUT • White: two 6⅞″ squares • Navy: one 6⅞″ square • Cornflower: one 6⅞″ square
MAKE • Layer a white square on the navy and one on the cornflower; sew ¼″ either side of the diagonal • Cut on the line, press toward the blue and trim to 6½″: four triangle squares • Lay out the cornflower pair in the top-right and bottom-left corners, points out • Turn the navy pair so their navy halves meet in the middle • Sew two rows of two, nesting the centre seam
TIP: it's a great scrap block. Use a different blue in every pair and keep only the white the same.
OTHER SIZES: cut the squares ⅞″ over the finished triangle square. For a 6″ block (3″ units), cut 3⅞″; for 8″, cut 4⅞″.
What colour would your broken dishes be?
Make this quilt your own
Open the Broken Dishes Quilt quilt in the Quiltler studio — in your browser, or on iPhone and iPad — to recolour it and swap in your own fabrics. Saving a copy to edit, and downloading the pattern pack with the fabric list and cutting sizes, comes with a subscription.
Open Broken Dishes Quilt in the studio · Browse more community quilts