Built from four half-square triangles rotated to different angles inside a four-patch, this is one of the oldest documented pieced designs in American quilting, with examples tracing back to the 1790s. The scattered arrangement of light and dark triangles gives the block its name, evoking shattered crockery, though no one source confirms exactly why. Oral tradition also ties this block to the Underground Railroad quilt code. It also goes by other names depending on layout, including Yankee Puzzle and Hour Glass.