Broken Dishes barn quilt pattern

The Broken Dishes barn quilt is painted on a 4 × 4 grid. On a 4 × 4 ft board each grid square is 12", and on an 8 × 8 ft board 24". It has 32 shapes in 2 colors.

Sixteen half-square triangles on a four-by-four grid, turned in pairs so the colors alternate in every direction.

By Editorial Staff

Broken Dishes barn quilt painted in navy, cream — Painted in navy and cream.

Broken Dishes barn quilt layout on a 4 by 4 foot board with measurements — The layout on a 4 × 4 ft board, with the grid marks in inches from the top left corner. Numbers are the paint colors below.

Measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards

Marks along the edges
Board	Grid square	Marks across the top and bottom	Marks down the sides
2 × 2 ft	6"	6", 12", 18"	6", 12", 18"
4 × 4 ft	12"	12", 24", 36"	12", 24", 36"
8 × 8 ft	24"	24", 48", 72"	24", 48", 72"

Each mark is measured from the top left corner, rounded to the nearest ⅛". Mark both opposite edges, then join the marks with a straightedge and a sharp pencil.

Paint for the Broken Dishes barn quilt

Two coats of exterior latex on the front, at 100 square feet a quart for each coat (labels say 300 to 400 square feet a gallon). Reds and yellows often need a third coat to cover evenly, so buy the next size up for those. Exterior paint starts at a quart, so on a 2 × 2 ft board 8 oz bottles of outdoor acrylic craft paint go further; what is left is for touch-ups.

Paint by board size
Color	Share	2 × 2 ft	4 × 4 ft	8 × 8 ft
1. Navy	50%	1 quart (2 oz)	1 quart (6 oz)	1 quart (21 oz)
2. Cream	50%	1 quart (2 oz)	1 quart (6 oz)	1 quart (21 oz)
Exterior primer	Front, back, edges	1 quart (3 oz)	1 quart (11 oz)	2 quarts (42 oz)

Ounces are what the paint takes; the size is what to buy.

Paint the lightest color first: cream, then navy. A darker color covers a lighter one that creeps under the tape, but not the other way round. The full method, from priming the board to hanging it, is in how to make a barn quilt.