Right Place Wrong Time (part 2)

How interesting that over almost 75 Quiltunes posts (wowza!), I have only written once about Dr. John and it was the same song? Surprising because Dr. John, along with The Meters, holds the distinction of most albums in my collection. I think I have 13 Dr. John albums. And I ask myself, is that enough? Ha. Well like a good cover song, this version will have a slightly different bent.

So much of life is about timing, whether it is the right or wrong time. Upon reflection, there are so many things in my life that happened because of simple timing. The trips I took/didn’t take; the people in my life; my interests and hobbies, etc. Perfect timing extends to the more common things too, like finding great scores at a thrift store. Seven or eight years ago I came across two bundles of African wax fabric at a thrift store for a quarter a piece. For a bundle of hand dyed, hand crafted super deluxe fabric. Fifty cents total! I bought both on the spot because it was just too special to pass up. I could hardly believe my luck and who knows, if I would have shopped at a different time, perhaps this fabric would have gone to another home.

I used to feel somewhat guilty when I would buy fabric and let it sit instead of immediately creating something useful. As mentioned, I am somewhat of a minimalist and I believe that everything should be used. However, I’ve let a lot of this go in the last few years as I have learned time and time again, that the fabric will never go to waste. It will always be needed for the right project, at the right time. I no longer put pressure on myself to finish and create in the way that I have to with my paid job. Quilting and sewing are how I decompress and any additional self-imposed stress is totally unnecessary. So what if two little sandwich sized ziploc bags of fabric wait awhile to arrive at their right home?

The African fabrics resided in a drawer until a couple weeks ago when I craved a new project. Immediately I knew exactly who would appreciate this fabric the most in my life – a friend who works in a very specialized (and challenging) medical field, who also lived and practiced medicine in Africa. Another just because quilt. The first bundle of fabrics was a charm pack (five inch squares) and the second contained four fat quarters. I wanted a design where I could use up every bit of the fabric without making more scraps. Also because the fabric is so dynamic, and cutting into the pieces would have altered the amazing prints, I opted for a simpler design. Patchwork is (probably) the most traditional quilt pattern but that does not mean that it is boring or doesn’t require creative input. Some of my most favorite quilts are patchwork made out of assorted scrap fabrics. Initially I played around with grouping the wax prints together, but ultimately decided that spacing them highlighted each print more. Both the complimentary shirting fabric and the backing were also purchased secondhand at thrift and estate sales. This just goes to show you never know when your combined fabrics will create the right quilt, at the right time. My favorite piece of this quilt is the stamp on one block showing it was made in Tanzania.

So like Dr. John’s most famous song, the fabric was in the Right Place Wrong Time. I happened to be in the right place to find it, but it was the wrong time to be sewn with immediately. Before this quilt, I would have found it a good home, but not the perfect home. By waiting until the right time, the fabric is now in its right place too. Comforting a friend who knows and loves the place where the fabrics originated and funky music, too.

P.S. There is so much Dr. John music to know and love. For the Night Tripper fans, please know that there will be other posts celebrating the singular uniqueness and linguistic genius of the man.