Thus far I have made three nine inch blocks.

Next one (Fish Bowl) is going to be a six incher.

Contrary Wife will be 12" in size. (Can't leave that block out because I certainly have been contrary from time to time.)

Just like the blocks in the quilt that inspired this project they are going to be sort of willy-nilly all over the place in size.

I've ordered a fabric that I can fussy-cut a horse's head from for my experience at Calumet Farm in Lexington, KY when I was a child so I can size that block as needed. But I cannot for the life of me find a fabric that has a parakeet on it which is very disappointing. I had a dear little parakeet as a pet for about six or seven years in the 1950s and I was hoping to represent him in a block but thus far no luck. Guess I could  try paper piecing a parakeet's head ...

If you really use your imagination it is a stack of hotcakes.

I looked through my stash.  No parakeets.  Toucans & chickadees & parrots.  But nothing that looked like a parakeet.

I looked in my stash too - Mama loved birds so I have a lot of different birds but no parakeets...got robins,  chickadees, flamingos, doves, cardinals, lots of hummingbirds.

I did find one place you can order a 9x9 swatch for not much: 

https://www.zazzle.com/bountiful_budgies_cute_watercolor_parakeet_fabric-256877233875365554

Suze, you gave my memory a good kick and I went to Etsy.com where I found various options for items made with parakeet fabric.

One small item was cute (made in Netherlands) and another small item was cuter (made in Ohio) but the one I liked best is made in New Hampshire and so I ordered that one.  Why buy something with pink parakeets or yellow parakeets when my Skeezix was turquoise? I held out until I found something that was close to my childhood pet. LOL

I swear this heart failure business is really messing with my thinking lately. I'm going in for a surgical procedure in two weeks and it had better work and get my blood pumping better so my brain works better.

Thank you for that idea. I will use it when I look at that block in the future.

Thank you for searching your awesome stash. Cannot believe I stumped you.

There is a block called Ornery Husband as well. It's been so long since I made one that I have no clue what it looks like any more.

Couldn't find Ornery Husband in the Brackman book or at Quilter's Cache but I found something called Contrary Husband online so I can use that one.

Thanks for the suggestion because my DH is actually more contrary than I am.

judyinohio said:

Thus far I have made three nine inch blocks.

You will have a puzzle to put together.  You will enjoy that as you like puzzles.  I'll check my  stash for fabric with a parakeet in it.

ETA:  Glad you found a fabric with a parakeet resembling your childhood pet.  This sounds like a fun quilt.