The Exquisite collection, by Gerri Robinson, is almost here and we can’t wait!
The sweeping florals and rich, classic color palette works together to make gorgeous quilts, table toppers, apparel and more.
Gerri paired deep shades of burgundy and charcoal with soft pink, cream, and gray. The contrasting values work together to show off each stunning design in this collection.
I wanted to create a quilt that was beginner-friendly, yet had a timeless, elegant appeal to it, and here she is in all her glory. Meet the Broken Dishes Quilt! The finished quilt measures 60″ x 72″ making this a generous sized throw quilt to wrap around while catching up on a good book, or fold it at the end of a twin size bed for a decorative touch.
With a 10″ stacker in hand, and yardage for borders, backing and binding, I created this classic quilt design using just one quilt block — the broken dishes block.
To make this quilt, you will need:
- 1 – 10″ stacker of Exquisite by Gerri Robinson
- 8 – 1 1/2″ x WOF strips Burgundy Ditsy Sparkle
- 8 – 2 1/2″ x WOF strips Gray Flowers
- 8 – 4 1/2″ x WOF strips Charcoal Main Sparkle
- quilt batting
- fabric for quilt back
- 8 – 2 1/2″ strips Charcoal Ditsy Sparkle for binding
*Note: All seam allowances are 1/4″
The main portion of the quilt top is made up of broken dishes blocks. Watch the video to see just how easy it is to make the block from two 10″ squares.
- Stack two 10″ squares, right sides together
- Stitch 1/4″ around the perimeter of the squares
- Cut across both diagonals
- Press the four units open, pressing toward the darker fabric
- Arrange the units as shown in the video — you want two like prints pointing toward each other at the center of the block, then alternate so the opposite prints point to the center
- Sew all four blocks together — first sew the top two blocks, pressing the seam toward the darker fabric. Then sew the bottom two blocks together, also pressing the seam toward the darker fabric. Sew the two rows together, nesting the seams.
Repeat these steps for all of your blocks. I paired my fabrics with scale and color in mind. For the most part, I paired darker prints with lighter prints, and larger scale florals with smaller scale florals. Several time, however, I intentionally broke this rule to add a little interest to the finished quilt. Any way you pair them will be totally gorgeous, so don’t overthink it!
Arrange your broken dishes blocks 4 rows across and five rows down.
Sew the top row together, pressing the seams to the right. Sew the second row together pressing seams to the left. Continue alternating the direction of the pressed seams as you sew the blocks of each row together.
Sew the rows together, matching up the seams and nesting them as you go. Press the seams open to reduce bulk.
For the borders, I like to create one long strip, sewing it to the sides first, then the top and bottom. I trim the strip flush with the edge of the quilt as I go. Another option is to measure the length you need and piece strips together to fit that exact measurement. It doesn’t matter how you do it. The basic idea is to add the Burgundy border first, followed by the Gray, and finally the Charcoal border. Always press the seams toward the border fabric.
Here is a closer look at some of those beautiful florals. Pure eye candy! I quilted this on my domestic machine using a super easy flower petal design. You can see how imperfect each little petal is — you don’t have to keep them uniform or exact in any way. The design starts with a small 1-2″ circle somewhere near the center of the quilt, or off-center if you want. After sewing the circle, continue by adding layer after layer of petals going around in circles across the entire quilt surface.
This quilting design adds a beautiful bubble texture to the quilt. Looking at it from the back, you can see the circle placement, and notice how the petals continue outward from that circle. A super easy, beginner-friendly design that looks amazing!
And that’s all there is to it! When you master the broken dishes quilt block, you have mastered this quilt. So grab yourself a 10″ stacker and start sewing!
Exquisite, designed by Gerri Robinson, is on its way your favorite local and online quilt shops. Pre-order yours today and share your makes with us on Instagram using #exquisitefabric, #rileyblakedesigns, #iloverileyblake, and tag us @rileyblakedesigns.