BIRDING A LA HARWOOD STEIGER

A roadrunner has recently moved into our neighborhood.  Most often seen in undisturbed, natural habitats, I was a little surprised to see him racing around suburbia.  I first saw him running atop our block wall fence in the back yard.  Now, I see him most often across the street or darting between houses.  Today, he took advantage of the pleasant sunshine and hunted in our front yard.  That gave me a wonderful opportunity to observe him up close from the window.  I was awed by the remarkable markings on this bird---so vivid and distinctive.  No wonder Harwood Steiger used them so liberally in his designs! 

There is no doubt that roadrunners capture our attention and imaginations. They are large, move distinctively and have such unique plumage.   And, after all, we grew up watching the roadrunner outwit the coyote.  Roadrunners must have made a powerful impression on Harwood Steiger.  These birds appear in dozens and dozens of his fabulous designs, either singly, or grouped in a scene, or showcased among the cacti. 

The first Steiger example I purchased was a table cloth and it was the comical roadrunners that captured my affections.  Since then, I have collected quite a few of the birds in a variety of depictions.  Steiger presented the birds in realistic renderings and abstractly, too.  The birds appear portraited, shown hunting and running, nesting and resting.  And, in each representation, one can clearly see that this is no other bird, except a roadrunner.  The long tails and head crowns are unmistakably roadrunner.  If they were not so humorous, one might call them regal.  Be sure to scroll down at see them in At Play, Square Dance, etc.

The Aztec style roadrunner appears in several different examples.  The one shown here has two facing birds and the pairs are set wide apart in the fabric run.  Sparingly used in this instance, the birds appear with great effect on a heavy, nubby cotton that is much like linen.  Printed in one color only, Steiger produced them in black, deep red, blue, forest green and brown.  The same bird is incorporated into what I call my Aztec tablecloth.  Not precisely the same, the birds are woven into a visual jig saw puzzle of Aztec motifs. So ingeniously done,  I did not recognize them at first.  Scroll down to see the Aztec dress panel,  the Aztec border print and the table cloth.

By far, my favorite roadrunners are the simply rendered ones that are so busy being desert dwellers that they make me smile.  I love the way these two in Paisano seem to be figuring out how to split that little lizard, or more likely, who's going to have it for an appetizer.  I wonder how much time Harwood Steiger spent bird watching.  He captured their behavior so perfectly.  For example, in Running Birds, the border print, the roadrunner's legs are completely outstretched, capturing the idea of just how fast these birds run.  They are fast, very fast. 

I also greatly admire the way Steiger presents the birds in an almost stately manner, as in the cholla dress panel.  They are highly detailed and shown in their full splendor.  Depicted in their natural element, these birds are right at home, and to me, look like a courting pair. 

Harwood Steiger had a real gift for capturing the nature of these wonderful Sonoran desert birds.  I am grateful that he took such a fancy to our avian friends and shows them in wonderful variety.

CREATING SMILES ABOUT DESERT LIFE

One of the things I love most about Harwood Steiger's desert designs is the humor he assigns to the critters who live here.  Most often when folks think of desert critters, they imagine the scary ones.  You know the ones I mean:  Gila monsters, rattlesnakes and scorpions.  They are venomous, sometimes lethal. and enjoy the greatest notariety among non-desert dwellers.  To be sure, they are here, but not in the invasive, dangerous manner that most people fear.  The desert predators pretty much stay as far away as we'd like them to stay. Interestingly, Steiger never included anything that should be feared in his designs.   More often, desert people encounter interesting and benign creatures like lizards, birds and insects.  These are the critters that are far more common and obviously they amused Harwood.  That's why so many of them are portrayed in his designs in such humorous ways. 

There is no doubt that Harwood loved those crazy roadrunners.  He used them over and over as the central element in many textile designs.  One need only look at the highly collected and classic Steiger designs like Square Dance, Running Birds, More Quail, At Play, Desert Clowns and of course, the untitled dress panels and table cloths.  Roadrunners appear dancing, running, hunting, playing and just plain posing.  Look at the dignity assigned to his Aztec Roadrunners.  The beauty of these birds is often portrayed in detail in designs like Paisano and the magnificent Cholla and Roadrunner dress panel.  But, one of my favorites shows them hunting lizards in Running Birds.  A juvenile bird is eagerly chasing a small lizard.  So cute.  Not to be outdone, Steiger's quails join in the fun, as well.  These distinctive birds are often seen in families busy doing what quails do.  Although, usually a plant eater, quail can be seen chasing a lizard or bug, too. 

Have you seen Owls?  Usually portrayed as very dignified birds, Steiger's owls are almost cartoonish as they perch on tree branches. 

I love the ants marching along in Bow Knots.  They are interspersed with the beautifully tied bows and flowers.  Keeping the ants company are a variety of butterflies.  We have many varieties of butterflies in Arizona and they are plentiful no matter where you go.  Speaking of butterflies, a gargantuan sized group are presented in Mariposa in a striking example of Steiger's gift.  Not to be overlooked, Idyll portrays butterflies flitting across the tops of flowers and a ribboned border.  They look to be performing an aerial ballet.  This border print is absolutely stunning.

It's hard to compare Harwood Steiger's textiles to those produced today.  Now, silk screens are laser cut from a two dimensional design.  Harwood Steiger's approach is radically different.  He free-hand cut the designs straight from his head, seldom producing a sketch in advance.  The stencils were cut from a plastic film by hand.  So, he could interject a fun comment as the mood struck him.  Can you see Harwood Steiger sitting at his table cutting away to create complex, beautiful compositions and then adding just a little bit of whimsy, like a baby roadrunner chasing a tiny lizard in the border of a tablecloth?  I can.  I also know that he must have smiled at the little joke.  What a wonderful man Harwood Steiger was.  He created beautiful things and forty years later, he's still making us smile.  How good is that?

Adding Steiger Inventory for Sale

Finally, I am able to announce that outstanding examples of Harwood Steiger fabrics are now on sale at my web store, Quilted Indigo.  Today, I started loading some of Joan's fabrics to my web store inventory and have them for sale now.  This won't be an auction, where the low bidder wins.  Joan and I are looking for good homes and appreciative future owners, no matter how long it takes.  The fabrics will sell for roughly $20 per yard and are sold by the cut, not by the yard.  Designs using more than one color will be slightly more.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase authentic Harwood Steiger textiles in generous yardages.  Check the bottom of this page to preview the offerings and be sure to visit quiltedindigo.com.  You have no idea how hard it is for me to let you buy these! 

Laundering History

Whew!  Only yesterday I finished laundering Joan's cache of Steiger fabrics.  The task took a full week.  It was a labor of love, to be sure.  But, a labor nonetheless.  Joan's house experienced a flood some years ago and since the fabrics were packed right away and not cleaned, many bore the water marks and thirty years of Arizona dust.  To rescue the fabrics and restore them to perfect beauty was a very big job.

It started with a preliminary visual inspection.  Each piece was examined and any problems were noted.  The next step was pre-treating any stains.  I searched the Internet for the best approach to each kind of stain.  Then came the soaking.  All three bathtubs in my house were full for a week with soaking Harwood Steiger fabrics.  The hallways were lined with plastic tubs of soaking fabrics as well.  I'm so glad I saved all those five gallon paint tubs and kitty litter tubs.  Depending on the severity of the problem, fabrics soaked at least 24 hours and in some cases 48.  Freshly squeezed lemon juice with a kosher salt rub were used on white fabrics with great success.  It's amazing how well that works.  Then came the washing.  Thankfully, my washer has a stain cycle (over 80 minutes long) and its ability was fully put to the test.  At the end of the first wash, I held my breath as I pulled the fabric from the washer and looked closely to see the results.  My face broke into a full smile as yard after yard of stain free fabric was pulled from the washer.  I ran to my husband and said, "Look.  Look.  No more stains.  I can't believe how perfect this is!"  With his customary lack of interest in any domestic chore he responded, "That's just fine."  Fine?!!!  It's a bona fide miracle!  I am ecstatic to report that every single fabric, save two, are totally and beautifully restored to their original condition. I feel as though the textiles were washed in the Fountain of Youth:  fresh, clean, bright, restored.  I am thrilled.  No, I didn't iron them.  These were wash and wear fabrics, which need not ever experience an iron.  And, besides, I just don't like ironing.  So, shoot me.

This task was a lot of hard work.  There were some pretty sizable lengths of fabric.  Rhododendron is nearly a full bolt of fabric, measuring close to 18 yards.  Try picking up 18 yards of fabric that is soaking wet.  Others, like Seafoam, were over 10 yards long.  Heavy, heavy to handle.  Woodland is made from a cotton blend in a linen like weave.  It's even heavier.  Every night last week I went to bed exhausted, but oh so pleased with the results of my labors.  Each of the fabrics was examined in detail again to confirm their condition.  This morning I developed a spread sheet to send to Joan so that she is fully aware of the inventory and its condition.  Now, I'm ready to start selling these treasures at quiltedindigo.com.  Joan's intention is that the fabrics end up with people who will cherish them and appreciate them for what they are:  art by the yard.  She didn't want them to end up in a yard sale or thrift store.  I couldn't agree with her more.  These Harwood Steiger creations are treasures and that is how I have treated them in getting them ready for collectors.  Many have not been seen in decades and I hope to provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire genuine Harwood Steiger textiles, directly from the artist's niece to you.

Documenting New Designs

The thrill of discovering and examining new designs was fully realized yesterday when I continued to document the Harwood Steiger textiles from Joan's cache.  Some of these designs are from the early days in Tubac.  It's not a rule, but a guide to say that if signed, "Steiger Fabrics", it's an early piece.  Later the signature was changed to, "Harwood Steiger".  It is true that some early designs continued in production until the studio closed, due to their enormous popularity.  However, Harwood Steiger never rested on his laurels.  He instead continued designing and producing screens throughout the studio's history.  According to Joan, in the last years of his life, he relied more heavily on previously produced screens.  But, new designs continued to emerge until his death in 1980.

I think it would be fair to say that the cactus and desert bird designs are the most easily recognizable Harwood Steiger designs and still enjoy enthusiastic purchase by collectors today.  I find, however, that the abstract and floral designs to be most intriguing.  No doubt, Sophie, Harwood's herbalist and gardening wife, greatly influenced the accurately rendered flowers and plants.  And, there are many---both desert and tropical.  But, Harwood Steiger was a genuine mid century modern artist and produced many, many abstract designs, now referred to as "atomic age" fabrics.  After all, Harwood was an Eames contemporary and designed in his own distinctive geometric style.  Steiger produced s series of abstract designs named for the many small towns that dot southern Arizona:  Tubac, Arrivaca, Suaharita, etc.  They are fabulous and are rendered in three to four colors each.  Look for these, as a collector, for they are often overlooked and go unattributed due to the stark difference from the realistic desert depictions. 

Joan told me a funny story.  A friend of hers whose house was next to the Tubac golf course, made a pair of golfing pants for her husband out of the primary colored version of Apogee.  This particular version of the design looks like a brightly colored stacked stone wall.  Joan says that her friend did this so that she could spot her husband on the course and know how long it would be until he got home.  Well, looking at the example, you can certainly see how this would be true.  In fact, I'll bet he could be spotted from a satellite in space!

I must to get back to photographing the fabrics. I need my daily fix of Steiger and the thrill of examining the new designs is overwhelming.  There is a lot to do to ready them for sale. I hope you will enjoy these.  Don't forget to check quiltedindigo.com soon if you see something you'd like to own.

Expanding My Knowledge Base

After a full year of study and documentation of Harwood Steiger textile designs, I thought I had a pretty good idea of just how many existed.  There is no definitive number of designs produced over the forty year history.  The records from the studio were lost and likely never existed to provide us with that kind of detailed information.  Harwood Steiger was not concerned with posterity.  He just loved creating and producing.  According to those who knew him, he was a bit of a workaholic and for fun and relaxation, he just worked more.  We are the beneficiaries of his focused efforts and last weekend, I learned that I have so much more to learn.

Accompanied by my husband and dog, we hit the road to Tubac Friday morning.  My intention was to work at Joan's house in the afternoon and still have time on Saturday to rummage through her boxes of packed away treasures.  Joan had a flood in her house a few years ago and all of her possessions were packed away by the flood clean up crew without accurately labeling the boxes.  So, I knew it was going to be a challenging and exhausting experience.  I was up for it, but Joan was not.  She wasn't feeling well on Friday, so we postponed our work session until Saturday afternoon when she might feel better. 

The delay was well worth the wait.  Joan led me to a back bedroom that was floor to ceiling with boxes.  Some were labeled, but most were not.  Right away, my Steiger sniffing nose led me straight to a barrel that had bolts of fabric in it.   Yes, that's right bolts!  Most were partial bolts with only a few yards on them, but some looked to have very large quantities of Harwood Steiger silk screened prints.  There were even bolts of unprinted fabric that Joan used as lining for the garments she made.  You couldn't get a better color match than that.  I pulled out the prints and stacked them against the wall in the living room. 

Returning to the bed room, I started peeking in each box, systematically moving it to the other side of the room when I discovered its contents.  On about the 12th box, I hit the jackpot.  The box was jam packed with 2-3 yard cuts of different fabrics!  Without looking further, I pulled the box out and carried it into the kitchen where Joan was working on a jig saw puzzle.  "Oh, good.  I knew there were some boxes of Steiger fabrics in there.  I'm glad you found one." 

One by one I pulled out the fabrics so that Joan and I could see them.  Most of the fabrics are in mint, pristine condition.  They are so crisp after 30 to 40 years with absolutely no loss of color.  Amazing.  As Joan looked through them, she pulled out a few to hold onto.  I can certainly understand that.  There were some pretty special pieces in there.  As Joan sorted them, I saw several designs that were totally new to me.  The box also contained some designs I'd seen pictures of, but not seen in person.  There were also color variations of designs familiar to me, but not in those color schemes.  All in all, this was a genuine treasure trove.  I didn't take the time to examine them right then.  I didn't want to keep Joan from resting.  She still wasn't feeling too well.  And, besides, I had limited room in the car to bring things back to Phoenix.  I should have left the husband and dog at home.  Taking my leave, I promised to measure and inventory the fabric for Joan before putting them up for sale.

Time was limited today as I caught up with neglected chores.  So, I only had time enough to photograph a few.  These are designs which are new to me and I would guess, pretty rare.  They are, in a word, exquisite.  I can't wait to examine them in detail and enhance my appreciation of Harwood Steiger design.

Recreating the Aztec Mystique

Before moving to Tubac in 1958, Harwood and Sophie Steiger spent several years in Sonora, Mexico, where they operated a textile silk screening studio.  It was smaller, but similar to the eventual Tubac studio.  The Steigers' long habit of spending winters in warmer climates than upstate New York, brought them to Mexico, after a few years in Florida.  I believe it was while in Mexico, that the actual silk screening began in earnest.

In 1956, Mr. William Morrow (Owner of the national chain of the Morrow's Nut Houses) and his wife were traveling in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, where they happened onto the Steiger studio.  Mr. Morrow was a wealthy supporter of the arts who had a vision to create an artist community from the tiny village of Tubac.  He had purchased  a sizable tract of land there and had designed a central plaza plan where he envisioned a community of working artists.  Mr. Morrow offered the Steigers a lot on which to build their studio and in 1958, Harwood and Sophie moved their struggling silk screening studio to Arizona. 

The Steiger move coincided with the relocation of other artists recruited for the community by the Morrows.  And, thus, the village of Tubac became a center for well known artists from across the country, but, mainly from New York. 

Perhaps it was the time spent in Mexico that caused  Harwood Steiger to hone his skills interpreting Aztec motifs for use in his textile designs.  To be sure, over the years, Steiger produced a wide variety of designs that clearly have their roots in ancient Aztec culture.  Some of the designs apparently come straight from temples and other surviving ancient structures.  Others are Aztec interpretations of common Steiger Southwest subjects, like roadrunners.  They are all collectively, distinctive, dramatic and just plain wonderful.

Harwood Steiger produced a range of textiles to offer to his collectors.  They included table linens, light weight yardage for apparel, dress panels, and heavier weight drapery type fabric.  These different types of fabric were the blank canvas for his Aztec inspired renderings.  Perhaps my favorite is the roadrunner interpretation which appears in many different compositions.  I recently acquired a horizontal central design which appears to be intended as a wall hanging exclusively.  I see no other use for it as it is wide and shallow.  I have seen only one other which is owned by Laura Hull.  In the past few days I've closely examined it and find a number of different birds in it including an owl.  I think it is simply fabulous.  But, what else would a Harwood Steiger addict say? 

I must mention to you that after many months, I finally completed the negotiations with the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, MA, to purchase a collection of Steiger textiles.  While in Tubac, I met a wonderful woman who offered to me a collection of early Steiger textiles which included beautiful table linens, dress panels and other yardage.  In the group were a number of small fat quarter sized pieces.  I bought those, but couldn't afford the whole collection.  So, I offered it to the Museum and they were happy to get them.  If you are in Massachusetts, please do stop at the Museum.  They not only have Harwood Steiger textiles, but also a display which includes a portion of his large silk screening table.  I am very happy to have saved these treasures for posterity and put them in the hands of true professional textile stewards.

More big news is that I have a trip planned to Tubac next week to pick up the remaining inventory from the Steiger studio.  Joan, Harwood and Sophie's niece, has asked me to help her dispose of them.  I'll be selling them at quiltedindigo.com starting in a few weeks.  Joan says she may have some garments hidden away in the boxes, too.  This may be more than my poor little addicted heart can handle.  But, I'll have to try for Joan's sake!

Getting Back on Track

It's been a busy 30 days and a very distracting, but fun time.  My husband and I hosted a group of 6 teen aged girls from Switzerland for a week.  We are not accustomed to teenagers and, needless to say, having wall to wall girls and all their accouterments was quite an experience.  They kept us busy. But, they were respectful, appreciative and eager to lend a hand.  I didn't know that girls still came with those qualities. It's taken me two weeks or so to recover and to get the house back into some semblance of order.  But, I'm almost there.

Even while Swiss Misses were here, the project moved forward, albeit slowly.  My friend, Ruth, bought two pieces of Steiger fabric and had them shipped here to be photographed.  One turned out to be a very early Steiger design called, Sand Dollars.  Very unusual to have a Steiger design with an under the sea theme.  Quite a change from the desert, cactus, and roadrunners most folks are accustomed to when thinking Harwood Steiger.  This particular fabric is beautiful turquoise with black ink.  Joan, Steiger's niece, tells me that it comes from the early days when Harwood and Sophie lived in Florida.  It's really (as my daughter would say) adorable.  Love the crab!  This is one of a group of distinctly different designs that present sea and shore related, or tropical subjects.  One of them, Sea Foam, is quite elegant.  My example is drop dead gorgeous in deep red.  It's abstract, yet very graceful.  It does look like foam flowing at water's edge.  Another, Hawaii, is a floral design incorporating all sorts of lush tropical foliage like plumeria, ginger and orchids along with a beautiful bird.  Again, the example I have is in that lovely deep red with black printing.  I'm sure there are more designs out there that would fall into this group of unusual Harwood Steiger designs.  I hope to run across them someday as more and more designs continue to surface.  I am still amazed that after nearly a year of documenting these fantastic designs, that new, or previously unknown to me, designs continue to turn up.

One of my addiction enablers, Jenny, a vintage clothing and fabric finder extraordinaire, recently called me with the news of a new vintage item.  She unearthed at an estate sale a wonderful apron cover up in a design called Plaza.  Of course, (you guessed it) had to have it.  The design falls into what I call an architectural group.  I have found several that depict dwellings, iron scroll work and other architectural elements.  Very interesting, and unique. 

I received a phone call from Joan, Steiger's niece, today with a request for help.  She has decided that it is time to divest herself of all the Steiger fabrics she's been saving for the past 50 years.  She doesn't want them to end up in a yard sale or a thrift shop.  So, she has asked me to help her inventory what she has and help her sell it.  I am truly honored by her request and also feel the weight of the task to be undertaken.  Can you imagine asking an addict to inventory and dispose of the addictive substance?!!!!  My heart is racing just thinking about it.  I'll have to give some thought to the best way to produce good results for Joan.  More than likely, I'll offer them in my e-commerce store, Quilted Indigo.  That way I can keep selling costs down and offer good value to buyers.  Look for announcements in June.  Will keep you posted on that one. 

Making New Friends

I had the great honor and distinct pleasure of meeting a wonderful woman this week.  Her name is Carolyn O'Bagy Davis and she is the author of Hopi Summer, chosen this year by ONEBOOKAZ as its winning selection.  Carolyn is also the author of 10 other books including Hopi Quilt, a must read for any quilter interested in historic expressions by Native American women.  Carolyn is a quilter and quilt historian.  It must be said that she is also charming, interesting and a great supporter of all things quilting.  She came to me courtesy of Anna Mary Childs, one of the people who offered up a collection of Steiger textiles to be photographed in Tubac.  Anna Mary told her of my book project and Carolyn contacted me to arrange a brief visit  She's in the middle of a promotional tour for her new book and she stopped in on her way home to Tucson. 

After being gleefully and lovingly mauled by my dog, Tina, Carolyn and I shared some iced tea.  I gave her the 4 minute history of how I became a Harwood Steiger addict and how I progressed from totally uninformed to hopelessly addicted.  It didn't take long to getting around to viewing my collection of Steiger textiles.  As I unfurled example after example, we discussed the history, technology and personal background of Harwood and Sophie Steiger.  Carolyn was full of questions and very good advice.  She asked all the right questions and suggested all kinds of new avenues to explore in developing the book and in finding the right publisher.  It pleased me to no end that she kept oooooing and ahhhing as one Steiger design after another was revealed.  I love nothing more than to share my beautiful textiles with someone who truly appreciates them, and Carolyn honestly did. 

Carolyn is well connected in the Arizona quilting world.  She told me of her involvement in the Arizona Quilt Project and reminded me that our Centennial celebration is next year.  She suggested that I prepare a presentation on Harwood Steiger textiles for historic, quilt and art audiences.  Good idea, and I do have a presentation in development for Marshall Shore's Vanishing Phoenix talks.  Her visit was all too brief and we didn't even get through viewing the entirety of the collection.  But, in that short time, she inspired me in a number of ways:  book development, presentation, and a Harwood Steiger quilt.

I have always intended on making Arizona Sketchbook into a quilt.  But, now there is a level of urgency about it.  Because I only do hand quilting, it takes quite a while to produce a quilt.  Usually, only one quilt per year.  So, if I want to have a quilt ready for the centennial, I need to get started now.  Responding to the urgency, yesterday I photocopied the fabrics I plan on using, and began to experiment with possible block lay outs.  Two guiding thoughts influenced my experiments.  First, it had to be a simple block.  I want the Steiger sketches to not get lost in the block design.  Second, I had to outline each sketch in brown because the boxes on the fabric weren't any where near predictable.  I chose fabrics in colors that Steiger used.  They are mostly solids or read as solids.  I played around with my little strips of paper for hours and came up with some interesting possibilities.  I welcome your opinion about which best showcases the Harwood Steiger sketches. Maybe you have a block that would work even better.  Let me know.  Please send me some comments.

Finding the Courage to Cut

Every time a new Steiger textile arrives, my husband asks, What are you going to use that for?  He doesn't grasp the concept of a collection for a collection's sake.  Usually, I'll pet the fabric for a while and then carefully fold it printed side in and place it in my special glass fronted cabinet.  The fabric respository is in a darkened room so that sunlight will not fade it, but the collection is easily glimpsed as I work in and around the room.  It's very comforting to me to see them all so neatly folded and stacked.  And, just knowing the Steiger fabrics are safe is enough for me. 

I do have plans for one of the Steiger designs.  It's called Arizona Sketchbook and looks like an assortment of post cards depicting all kinds of interesting things in Arizona:  recreation, towns, wildlife, etc.  I plan to make a quilt out of it in a log cabin Courthouse Steps configuration.  The fabric is brown ink printed on an ivory background and I've already acquired the complementary fabrics in brown, gold, purple and red.  And, just as soon as I finish my Shweshwe Maple Leaf quilt (about half finished hand quilting it) and the Japanese geisha and  bamboo applique top for my friend, Marie (probably the first and last applique quilt I'll ever do), I'll start on Arizona Sketchbook.  But, for the rest of the Steiger fabrics I have no plans.  At least, I didn't have any plans until recently. 

In truth, I've been very reluctant to cut up my Steiger treasures.  I know, I know.  They were made to be used.  My fear is that once I commit to a projecct, that fabric will be gone and I may never see it again on the open market.  The fabrics are becoming scarcer and scarcer and more and more expensive.  But, when I visited Joan (Steiger's niece), she gave me a skirt already cut out in Tumbleweeds.  It's beautiful--- rust background with navy blue ink.  What Joan gave me was a lined wrap around skirt, typical of the 1960's.  It sat in my collection cupboard for a couple of weeks before I took it out to assess what I could do with it.  I ended up reducing the length and turning it into a gathered skirt.  I had enough left over to make a rounded yoke for a corresponding blouse in navy.  I suppose it really is a two piece dress.  It turned out well. 

In years past, I used to make nearly all of my clothes.  My first ambition in life was to be a fashion designer and I tested all kinds of fabrics in all kinds of garments from formal dresses to suits.  i developed considerable skills, but never translated that into a profession or business.  As real life took over, I had less and less time to sew, and like so many, gave into the convenience of ready-made clothing.  My success with Joan's already cut out skirt gave me the courage to move forward with other garments made in Steiger fabrics.  Over the last year, I've found some really lovely garments made by others, on-line and during my survey documentation in Tubac.  People like me lucked into a Steiger fabric and put their sewing skills to use.  So, I decided to do the same, finally, according to my husband.

My first effort was a fabric given to me by Joan.  It's called Weeds and is an overall design of black ink on a beautiful rich turquoise blue. If the truth be known, I generally wear shorts and t-shirts most of the time.  But, a nice loose fitting dress is a welcomed addition to the Arizona wardrobe.  So, I selected a vintage dress pattern with a square yoke that I found at a thrift shop.  It only took a couple of days to make start to finsih and turned out great. 

Encouraged by these two successes, I next tackled a border print (non Steiger).  This dress is a little more form fitting and I had to create my own pattern.  But, I love the way the Yeis look and it very similar to a Steiger fabric called Yeis.  This example however, is a multi colored print on natural colored cotton is nothing less than striking.  I've been saving this one for a long time and I took many deep breaths before cutting.  I really like it and will now risk using an actual Steiger fabric on another dresss.

The most recent dress is made from one of those beautiful dress panels.  The Steigers panels are two yards of fabric with the silk screened design printed on the width instead of the length of the fabric.  And, the Steigers were right.  It takes two yards to make a simple shift.  This casual dress is just perfect for the climate:  loose and roomy.  I have several of these panels in different colors, fabrics and designs.  This particular design was one of the most popular of the Steiger dress panels with prominent saguaro cactus, roadrunners and other desert plants.  I see a lot of this design.  They usually are less expensive to buy than overall designs because of limitations of a central pattern.  So, be on the look out for this kind of bargain.

So now, thanks to Joan, I have the beginnings of a whole new wardrobe for the summer.  I'll probably next tackle a jacket and skirt for business occasions.  I have a large piece of Papago, thanks to a generous gift from Robert Black, vintage clothier extraordinaire.  But, that's enough new clothes for me for a while.  I hope you enjoy them and some of the other great garments that have turned up.  I'll add a couple more examples from my collection soon.  I just have to photograph them.

Exploring the Details of Design

During last week, I was able to photograph all of the wonderful fabrics given to me by Joan, Harwood and Sophie's niece.  I focused on capturing details of some of the different designs.  There are so many.  One fabric may contain nearly a hundred design elements, each linked and placed harmoniously with its neighbors.  A great example is Seven Cities of Cibola.  I think this was one of Joan's favorites.  When she was pulling out the treasured Steiger examples from her black chest, the striking lime green base color of the fabric overwhelmed me, and I had to exclaim, What a fantastic sixties color!  And, it is.  Beyond the color of the fabric, one immediately begins to note the complex design of the silk screening.  Joan told me that this was a particularly difficult design to print.  I believe her.

The printing process was not particularly difficult in and of itself.  The fabrics would be rolled out on a very long table and then the screen would be placed, inked and moved to its next location, skipping space in a leap frog fashion so that the inks would not smudge until they dried.  Then, Harwood would come back and fill in the empty spaces, leap frogging again until the entire bolt was printed.  The problem comes in with strictly maintaining registration.  The Seven Cities of Cibola design, complex and intricate, was difficult to maintain registration exactly.  Steiger, being a perfectionist, would not sell the fabric that was not perfect.  But, also being a thrifty person, could not afford to discard the fabric.  An ingenious solution was created.  On these imperfect printing runs, Harwood would overprint another complimentary design, hiding the imperfections of the first print.  I had seen some overprint fabrics, but had wrongly assumed that these were an effort to introduce variations following Harwood's death.  Joan just laughed when I told her this.  No, Uncle Harwood and Aunt Sophie just couldn't afford to waste any fabric.  It was the most expensive part of the studio process. 

It wasn't until Joan gave me this beautiful green example of Seven Cities of Cibola that I was able to examine it closely.  In reviewing the photos, I just shake my head in wonder and appreciation of its divine dimension and energy.  Undoubtedly, Harwood Steiger was a collector of native symbols and a creator of interpretations of the things seen and found in the desert.  He was clearly a keen observer of desert life including all plants and many animals (the most whimsical ones, surely).  All these he gathered into his designs. 

The stencils were all hand cut.  Harwood would work out the designs while summering in New York.  One of Joan's earliest jobs as a young child while visiting Uncle Harwood and Aunt Sohpie in Red Neck, was sweeping up all the little pieces cut from the stencils.  That was such a hard job!  All those damned little pieces, Joan complained nearly sixty years later.  It really must have been a hard job, indeed.  Joan is still frustrated by the task. 

In looking at the fabric design, I'm unable to determine where one stencil ended and another one begins.  Such is the talent of this persnickitty printer.  Joan tells me that the stencils were only about 18 inches long.  This amazing attention to minute details is what makes Steiger such an exceptional artist and separates him from other silk screeners of his era.  Where most silk screeners of the mid century worked in big, bold graphical designs, Harwood Steiger's work was highly detailed, almost delicate in comparison. 

My husband often chuckles when he finds me petting my fabric.  Almost daily (and usually when he's not at home) I take out a piece from my Harwood Steiger collection and just look at it.  I find something new in each piece every time.  Sometimes I'll hang it on my quilt design wall so I can study it in its entirety.  Also, I can examine design elements easily and study how they all fit and work together to create a lovely, and may I say fascinating, fabric.  I guess I have become mesmerized by my addiction.  I hope I'll never find a 12 step program to cure me of it.

Becoming a Textile Archeologist

The Villager, Tubac's only publication, was gracious enough to run a small feature article I wrote for them on my book project.  In the article, I asked for anyone possessing Harwood Steiger examples to contact me in the hopes that I would be able to photograph them.  I also sent a few photos of Steiger fabrics I had on hand. 

Well, if the Villager ever needed confirmation that locals read it cover to cover, I can provide it.  I got so many responses over the next few weeks that it was dizzying.  Each and every day I received several emails from folks who had fabrics, curtains, garments and more.  By the time December rolled around, over 30 people had offered their Steiger treasures to be photographed.  Only problem was, I had to have surgery on my right hand that could no longer be delayed.  It was nothing serious, but not having the use of your dominant hand's thumb is handicapping.  So, I let everyone know that my photo sessions would be delayed until January.

In spite of the delay, ethusiasm for the project had not waned when I recontacted all those folks.  Based on the large number of people willing to work with me and the number of items they each brought, I scheduled a three day trip to Tubac and arranged with Nancy to use the Pink House as my working studio.  Preparations included creating a permission sheet (required by publishers), packing up my own Steiger treasures to share, borrowing a digital Nikon from my friend, Marie, and confirming a three day schedule with everyone.  When the time came, I packed up the car, complete with groceries, coffee pot, ironing board and iron, my quilting design wall for a backdrop, and a few changes of clothes.  This was going to be a heavy duty working session, so no need for anything that was not absolutely essential.

The schedule I developed permitted me to travel to Tubac in the morning and get set up for appointments starting at 1 PM.  My first appointment was on time and the schedule was pretty tight for the rest of the day straight on through to 8 PM.  The next day was pretty much the same, except I started work at 8 AM and went to 8 PM.  On the last day, one of my appointments couldn't find me and it was a shame because she claimed to have 30 different fabrics.  I had set aside the bulk of the morning for her.  But, not to worry, because I was catching up with a huge collection that had been left with me of  mostly linens.  Keep in mind that each and every item offered to be photographed had to be ironed first.  I haven't done that much ironing in at least 10 years, if ever.  On the last day, work ended at around 9 PM.  I was exhausted, but, oh so happy.  I had been able to take over 120 photos of some of the most stunning fabrics I'd ever seen.  And, more importantly, I met great, actually wonderful people, who shared with me some pretty terriffic stories about Harwood Steiger, buying fabrics at the studio, how the fabrics had been used, and so much more.

One lady and her husband had been visiting a local ranch house that had just undergone a complete renovation.  She noticed that the construction debris pile had what looked like the old drapes.  Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be Steiger roadrunners printed on a heavy linen.  Torn?  Yes.  Stained?  Yes.  But, nonetheless she asked if she could retrieve them from the trash heap, and of course, took them home, carefully laundered them and saved them from an unhappy disposal.  I loved this story.  But, you know what?  She gave me one of those drapery fragments and I treasure it all the more for having been rescued.

Another couple that visited with me were so much fun.  The wife was a quilter and both were eager to see my own collection.  We went through the fabrics piled on the bed in the second bedroom and they ooooed and ahhhed appreciatively at my personal treasures.  She had brought some great fabrics, too and we had the best time together.  Before she left, she proposed a trade:  one half yard of her Mimbres for one half yard of my Nine Wives.  Well, yes, of course.  We were both happy with the transaction.

Did you know that Santa Claus lives in Tubac?  Her name is Judy.  Judy was one of my first visitors.  She just dropped off her fabrics and said, Call me and I'll pick them up later.  That's Tubac folks for you:  trusting, generous and so very supportive.  Judy had some great fabrics.  One, Bows and Arrows, I had tried to acquire on Ebay, but was unsuccessful.  It went sky high.  Another, Saguaro, is one of my most favorite.  I photographed them in between other appointments and eventually phoned Judy to retrieve her treasures.  I could not believe it when Judy handed me four beautiful cuts of fabric including Bows and Arrows and Saguaro. She said, You keep these.  I really want you to have them.  It was Christmas for me, for sure.  So, yes, Santa lives in Tubac.

There are other great stories, too.  One from the lady who years earlier volunteered to run the Four H Program in the village and used to take the kids to Steiger's studio to shop for fabric for their projects.  There was no other place to buy fabric back then unless you wanted to go to Tucson and that was too far away.  Another from a lady whose house burned down with everything her family owned in it.  So, friends got together, purchased Steiger fabrics and sewed clothes for the family.  Amazing.  Simply amazing. 

During those three days in Tubac, I saw Steiger fabrics that I didn't know existed.  I saw Steiger fabrics in color variations that were stunning.  I saw Steiger fabrics sewn into beautiful garments and home decorations.  In retrospect, I'm glad that Pamela Coates Antiques was unwilling to let me use her inventory as the base collection for my book.  If I had been able to use that inventory, I wouldn't have had to work so hard to find all these individually owned examples and I wouldn't have met all these wonderful, wonderful people and I would not have heard their stories.  My textile archeology paid off in a huge way and I am enriched by the effort.  Also, I now have some great friends in Tubac, too.  Thank you, Pamela Coates.