15 Fun And Easy-To-Make Broken Dishes Quilt Patterns

Have you been searching for a quick and easy quilt pattern? 

There are so many to choose from, but we want to show you a pattern that we know you’ll enjoy.

Half-square triangle quilts are popular in modern quilting, especially for beginners. 

We will focus on a particular block called the “broken dish” quilt block. 

It’s a super simple block and works excellently in various quilt designs. 

What Is a Broken Dishes Quilt?

A broken dishes quilt block is made up of four half-square triangles (HSTs.) They are laid out so that the design resembles a broken dish, hence the name. It was one of the oldest quilt designs documented, dating back to the 1790s.

The broken dishes design is a perfect way to use up scraps. It also works well with precut fabrics since the entire pattern uses HSTs. 

How to Make a Broken Dishes Quilt Block

Before we look at the incredible examples of broken dish quilts, I would like to teach you how to make this simple block. In this tutorial, I will show you how to make two- 9 ½” HSTs at a time which will save you time. Plus, you won’t have fabric waste.

1. Choose your fabrics.

You will need four- 10” squares to make one broken dish quilt block. To save time, you can use precut 10” squares or cut them from yardage.

2. Stack the squares.

Make two stacks of two squares. Place the squares right sides together.

3. Draw a diagonal line across the squares.

Draw a diagonal line across both square stacks using a water or heat-soluble pen/marker. This will be your guideline. 

4. Stitch ¼” away on either side of the guideline.

Be sure to backstitch a couple of stitches on either end of the line to ensure the stitches don’t come undone later in the block-piecing process.

5. Cut down the guideline.

Using scissors or a rotary cutter, cut along the guideline. This will make two-HSTs from each stack.

6. Press the seams.

Unfold the HSTs and press the seams to the darker fabric.

7. Arrange the blocks.

Arrange the blocks like the diagram below.

8. Sew the HSTs together.

Now you have created a beautiful broken dish quilt block. The finished block will measure 9” square. You can use this tutorial to make any size quilt you would like. 

15 Fun And Easy-To-Make Broken Dishes Quilt Patterns 

Check out some gorgeous triangle quilt patterns featuring the broken dish block. These patterns are excellent beginner-friendly quilt projects and will be a blast to make. 

1. Modern Broken Dishes

This fun baby-size quilt is a beautiful modern rendition of this classic quilt block. The vibrant colors and playful prints bring this quilt pattern into the modern era. This blog post from Simple Simon and Company includes instructions on how to make the block.

2. Colorful Broken Dishes

Here is an excellent example of using scraps for a broken dishes triangle quilt. The maker used 3 ½” squares to create all the HSTs for this quilt top. The finished quilt measures 60” x 78”.

3. Precut-Friendly Broken Dishes Tutorial

This free tutorial from the Riley Blake Designs’ blog shows you how to use 10” precut squares to create four HSTs at a time to make this timeless quilt. The finished quilt will measure 60” x 72” and is an ideal size for a throw quilt. You only need one layer cake bundle to make the blocks for this quilt. 

4. Blue Broken Dishes Quilt

Here is another free tutorial showing you how to make two HSTs simultaneously. For this quilt, you will create 4 ½” HSTs. This is a fat-quarter-friendly pattern. The free tutorial will show you how to make a 40 ½” x 48 ½”.

5. Grandma’s Broken Dishes Pattern

This pattern uses broken dishes quilt blocks rotated to create a fun “X” design over the quilt top. It also features wide sashing and cornerstones between each block so each block pops against the light gray background fabric. The finished quilt measures 72” x 82”.

6. Hourglass Scraps

This beautiful pattern features scrappy-style broken dish blocks. The pattern includes all block construction instructions and diagrams. The finished quilt measures 60” x 72”.

7. Large Broken Dish Blocks

This gorgeous quilt features 20 large broken dish quilt blocks. Each of these blocks is made from four smaller blocks. I love how the maker used a different fabric for each block to add an extra design layer to the quilt. 

8. Pastel Broken Dishes Block

Here is a super in-depth tutorial that walks you through step-by-step how to make this beautiful star block using broken dish blocks. The instructions show you how to make a 12 ½” unfinished block. Using this unique star block, you can use this block with other blocks or create an entire quilt top.

9. Scrappy Broken Dish Quilt

Using my tutorial earlier in this post, you could easily recreate this beautiful layout. It looks incredible using all kinds of colors and patterns and would look great using just two colors for the entire quilt top. You can use this layout to make any size quilt. 

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10. Traditional Broken Dishes

Here is a lovely example of a broken dishes quilt made using primitive, traditional fabrics. This free tutorial will help you make a quilt like the one pictured above. The finished quilt measures 44” x 44”.

11. Vertical Broken Dishes Quilt

This quilt features the blocks on point. It may look more complex than other layouts, but it is pretty simple. The layout is simply broken dish blocks and whole squares alternated in a checkerboard layout. 

12. Little House on the Prairie Broken Dishes

This pattern is a free download from Andover Fabrics. The pattern has excellent diagrams and instructions for making the broken dish blocks featured in strips on the quilt top. The finished quilt measures 36 ¼” x 44 ½”.

13. Unique Broken Dishes

This quilt measures 60” x 60” and is a fun modern take on the broken dishes quilt pattern. The maker used 5” squares to create the HSTs for the broken dish blocks. It’s fun to see how different the designs look depending on how you lay out the blocks. 

14. Vintage Solids Broken Dishes

The designer of this quilt used gorgeous solid fabrics for this entire quilt. These colors were popular during the early 1900s, and I love how the designer used these “vintage” colors to create this timeless quilt. The finished quilt measures 67” x 81”.

15. Solid Rainbow Shades Broken Dishes

Here is a fun, playful version of a traditional broken dishes quilt using vibrant rainbow colors. The designer also used a fun sawtooth border that gives the quilt a perfectly finished look. The straight-line quilting provides this quilt with an extra modern layer as well.

The broken dishes quilt block is a classic block that is versatile and fun to play around with when designing a quilt. As you can see in the example collection above, there are endless possibilities for this seemingly simple quilt block.