Golden Afternoon Free Half-Square Triangle Quilt Pattern

Happy Thursday! Today I have a quilt finish and free quilt tutorial to share! This quilt has been seven years in the making, so I'm really excited to have it finished and up on the blog today!


I started this quilt back in 2014! When my sample yardage of Dreamin' Vintage* arrived, it was the first thing I cut out. This isn't a complicated quilt by any means, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to finish it. I cut it out and it sat untouched for many years. Finally in 2020 I pulled it out and was determined to finally finish it.

Dreamin' Vintage was my favorite collection that I designed, but for some reason I don't have any quilts made from it. They've all ended up gifted to someone else! So this one I am for sure keeping for myself. :)


I designed the quilt as a free pattern to go along with the fabric collection, but had always intended on making it available here on my blog too. The design is based on my warm cool half-square triangle quilts (see that quilt along here: Warm Cool HST Quilt Along). I love working with the contrast that warm vs cool colors brings. If you're unsure which colors typically read warm and which read cool, check out my post all about it here: The Art of Choosing: Warm vs. Cool


I took this quilt along with one other home with us this past July to photograph. I usually go home at least twice a year, so quite a few of my quilts are photographed on this white barn at my parent's house. With the pandemic we were unable to go home in 2020, so it felt good to bring quilts home with us this summer! The entire quilt is made from my Dreamin' Vintage* collection that I designed for Art Gallery Fabrics.


Since these fabrics were inspired by vintage sheets that I'd thrifted, it felt like the perfect time to use the "Pyrex Stems" quilting design for this quilt. The quilting was done by Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting. This quilting pattern is based on one of my very favorite pieces of vintage pyrex called "Stems". I think it's such a great match for this quilt! See the vintage pyrex piece below:


Now, onto the tutorial! I originally wrote it for using 1/4 yard cuts. I've added options for using fat quarters or for cutting from scraps or random yardage. Since the blocks are pretty big it goes together quick!

Golden Afternoon Quilt Tutorial

Sewing Level: Beginner Friendly
Finished Size: 70"x70"
Finished Block Size: 7" square

Golden Afternoon Quilt Materials:
- (10) 1/4 yard cuts of warm-colored fabrics (or 13 fat quarters*)
- (10) 1/4 yard cuts of cool-colored fabrics (or 13 fat quarters*)
- 4 1/2 yards of backing fabric
- 78"x78" piece of batting
- 1/2 yard of binding fabric

Golden Afternoon Quilt Cutting:
From each warm-colored fabric:
- Cut (5) 8" squares, for a total of 50 squares.

From each cool-colored fabric:
- Cut (5) 8" squares, for a total of 50 squares.

Other Cutting Options:
*If you'd like to use fat quarters:
- Cut a total of (50) 8" warm-colored squares
- Cut a total of (50) 8" cool-colored squares

If you'd like to use scraps or miscellaneous yardage:
- Cut a total of (50) 8" warm-colored squares
- Cut a total of (50) 8" cool-colored squares

Looking for supplies? Check out my Pattern Supplies and Resources post.

Golden Afternoon Quilt Instructions:

*Use a 1/4” seam allowance unless otherwise noted*
1. Make Half-square Triangle Blocks: Using a marking pen or a pencil, draw a diagonal line across the wrong side of all 8” warm-colored square. Place one warm-colored square and one cool-colored square right sides together. Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the marked line. Press and cut apart on the marked line to create two half-square triangles. Press seams open. Repeat with remaining squares to make a total of 100 blocks. Trim half-square triangles to 7.5” square.

2. Construct Quilt Top: Arrange blocks into 10 rows of 10 blocks each, according to the above diagram. Sew together blocks in each row Press seams in one direction, alternating direction every other row. Sew rows together. Press seams open.

3. Making Backing: Cut backing yardage in half. Press. Trim off the selvedge and sew your pieces together lengthwise. Press seam open.

4. Basting: Using masking or painter’s tape, tape the backing to a clean, hard surface, right side down. Spread out your batting on top of the backing. Smooth out any wrinkles. Carefully spread out your quilt top on top of the batting, right side up. Pin your top, I like to use curved safety pins, spacing the pins a few inches apart. Make sure that your pins are going through all three layers.


5. Quilting: Quilt as desired, by machine or by hand. Trim away excess batting and backing fabric.


6. Binding: Cut yardage listed for binding into 2.5” strips. Trim off selvedges and sew your strips together to form one long strip, press seams open. Fold in half lengthwise, pressing with your iron as you fold. Attach binding using your preferred method. For a detailed tutorial on attaching your binding to both sides by machine: Machine Quilt Binding Tutorial.


I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! I have lots of other tutorials for everything from quilts, pillows, bags, and holiday items to informational series and techniques. Find all my tutorials here: Tutorials. My online shop is filled with patterns for quilts and bags. Find my patterns here: Jeni Baker Patterns

If you make something using one of my tutorials or patterns, I hope you'll tag me @jenib320 and use my hashtag #jenibaker on instagram!

Happy Quilting!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.