Marcia Birken discovered quilting after a career as a math professor. Her interest has always been discovering patterns everywhere as she traveled the world. You’ll find influences of both her travels and exploration of patterns in her art quilts.
Tell us more about how your career in academia and mathematics has influenced your fiber art?
After moving to Rochester, NY in 1976, I began a twenty-nine-year career as a math professor in the College of Science at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
My research and publishing were often interdisciplinary, done in collaboration with faculty from other RIT colleges. Together we studied how students understand (or do not understand) mathematics and how to use disparate disciplines to find common patterns.
In fact, I had a 30+ year collaboration with an RIT English Professor, Dr. Anne C. Coon, that resulted in publication of the book Discovering Patterns in Mathematics and Poetry. My major academic interest was always studying patterns – patterns found in mathematics, patterns used in learning mathematics, and mathematical patterns found in nature. Many of the papers I published were about how creativity and problem solving intersected through pattern.
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Obtaining tenure and promotion to Full Professor occupied all my time, with little opportunity for pursuing other interests. However, from my early thirties, when I first saw the play Quilters, I was fascinated by how quilt patterns transcend geometry by telling the stories of women’s lives.
How long have you been quilting and designing? How did you get started?
In 2006, I retired as Professor Emerita from the School of Mathematics and Statistics at RIT at the age of 56. Although I had thoroughly enjoyed teaching math to engineering, computer science and liberal arts students, after a serious illness I wanted to do something different.
I had not sewn anything since 5th grade Home Economics, and I had never learned to thread or use a sewing machine. I jumped at the chance to take an introductory quilting class with Suzzy Payne, an expert Rochester author and quilt teacher who included the history of quilt blocks in her courses.
An important part of my quilting journey began in that first quilt class when I learned about the delights of fabric shopping, the advances in sewing machine technology, and the wonderful friendships found in quilting clubs. I have been a member of the regional Genesee Valley Quilt Club for 18 years, a member of Rochester Area Fiber Artists for more than 15 years, and a member of Sassy, a five-member group of close friends and quilters, for about 10 years.
Simultaneous to retirement, I began a nature photography business, ciaPhoto, where I captured images of mathematical patterns in the physical world, including geometry, spirals, symmetry, Fibonacci numbers, and fractals.
I traveled with my husband to exotic places like the Middle East, Botswana, Antarctica, and Australia where different flora and fauna showed me new and exciting patterns.
I learned how to mat and frame my photographs and entered art shows where I sold my work. Not surprisingly, I discovered that there was an overlap between nature’s patterns and quilt patterns.
However, my breakthrough moment came when I discovered Art Quilting where I could interpret my photography in fiber. I experimented with printing my photographs as a whole cloth on fabric, but found piecing, appliqué, and collage art quilts were better outlets for my creativity.
My most recent work has been learning different techniques to create animal collage quilts.
How does your environment influence your creativity? Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
As an academic whose work usually included collaboration, I continue to search for relationships between disparate things. Thus, inspiration can appear in what is missing or ambiguous in a scene.
Photography training also helps me to see things from multiple perspectives. Recently I wanted to create a portrait collage quilt of my red Standard Poodle, Pumpkin, who had passed away in 2022. Pumpkin was an extraordinary dog and therefore he required a different kind of portrait.
By cropping his photo to focus on the eye and tongue I was able to capture the essence of his personality. The resulting quilt is confusing at first glance with so many small pieces of fabric representing the red/brown colors in his fur. With further contemplation, or by stepping back across the room, the idea of a dog becomes apparent, and Pumpkin comes alive.
As a person who enjoys close relationships with family and friends, I also find inspiration in the words and ideas of others.
Often, the starting point of a new direction for my work is seeing a work by an artist I did not previously know. I don’t copy the work, but rather let the new style influence me to try something that stretches my imagination.
Have there been teachers/classes that have changed the direction of your work?
Three teachers have had a strong influence on my style and on the materials I use. I was introduced to all three through their appearances on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.
After watching their presentation online, one or more of the members of the Sassy group planned a group session using the information from the show. Often, we need to go back and rewatch all or a portion of the show, purchase the person’s book, or download information from their website to fully grasp what is shown online.
The first teacher is Karen Eckmeier whose techniques of “Accidental Landscapes” and “Happy Villages” had a strong influence on how I create art quilts. After watching her Quilt Show segment, I purchased both of these books, and I tried to recreate the old city of Jerusalem using the “Happy Villages” technique.
It was quite labor intensive but allowed me to create an entire cityscape that was fairly accurate based on hundreds of photographs I’ve take there. I used a layer of sparkly yellow tulle over the outside wall, as well as a layer of black tulle over the entire quilt to make the colors of the buildings more intense.
I have used Ms. Eckmeier’s landscape technique of using fabric strips to create depth and distance in the quilts shown above, namely Moose on the Mountain and Three Gorges on the Yangtze River.
Tamara Leberer’s appearance on The Quilt Show had a profound effect on me. She showed how to create a product known as silk fusion from unspun silk roving that had been dyed. This fundamentally changed my approach to fabric media.
After reaching out to Susan Du Bois at Treenway Silk in Colorado, I purchased an ever increasing stash of hand-dyed silk roving and began making my own silk fusion. This led to my hosting a “silk fusion day” for my Sassy Quilt group and then branched out to teaching other groups about this fabulous, lush, shiny material.
At first, I worked silk fusion into abstract mosaic designs, but more recently I’ve incorporated it into realistic art quilts. One of my favorites is Botanical Gardens of Salt Lake City.
The third teacher from The Quilt Show is Barbara Yates Beasley who introduced me to the delights of animal collage quilting. I actually first found her animal quilts on Pinterest when I was searching for ideas for Pumpkin’s portrait, and then went back to watch her show from several years ago. I have taught a demo of her technique to my Rochester Area Fiber Artists group using one of my photos of a grey-tailed mountain-gem hummingbird from Costa Rica.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
Some projects require a great deal of planning, but more often I love to just jump into a project and play.
I usually start with an idea of what my finished quilt will be, but often the result is surprisingly different.
I am not afraid to take out or change fabrics, redo entire sections of a quilt, or give up entirely and start over. For me, this is part of the creative process.
Describe your creative space.
I am fortunate to still live in the original home where my husband and I raised our two children. The bedroom that served as my home office during my teaching years has become a sewing studio, where the wall of bookshelves now holds all my fabric, organized by color. A large sewing machine cabinet houses my domestic machine and stores thread and other supplies. A separate cutting table is raised to a good height to accommodate my arthritis.
Walk into this room while I am in the middle of a project and fabric is strewn everywhere. Piles of books that might help my design lie about, multiple rulers, markers, and art pens cover the surface of the tables, and cutting mats keep all the clear spaces from being marred.
It is chaotic, colorful, disorganized, fun, and a bit crazy. Once a quilt is finished, my need for organization kicks in. I fold up all the fabric, put everything away, and try to bring the space back to “clean and serene.”
A few years ago, I purchased a Bernina Q20 sit-down long arm. That machine is in another bedroom in a second large cabinet that is adjustable in height, a necessity after multiple back surgeries. I am finally becoming comfortable with free-motion quilting on the Q20 and am enjoying this new creative outlet.
What is your favorite storage tip for your fabric and creative supplies
Bins, boxes, containers, and shelving are my best friends. I like to see my fabric, so I keep most of it on open shelving.
I arrange piles by color, but there are also stacks of fabric that have a theme or a project in mind.
The drawers of my sewing cabinets are filled with small and large containers that house needles by size and type, bobbins by color and weight, art pencils, inks, and markers by brand, and tools for various purposes, often borrowed from my husband’s stash of medical supplies. His surgical clamps and tweezers are among my favorite implements.
Since I now work on a lot of collage projects, saving scraps is especially important. I keep them in clear ziplock bags, by color, and store the bags in bins.
Other bins contain fabrics I’ve found while traveling that are too exotic to be of everyday use but might come in handy for a special touch or unusual project.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
I’ve never used a sketchbook or journal. I do have extensive computer files of projects, both completed and for future consideration.
I enjoy perusing Pinterest and keep folders of ideas that spark some interest. I also keep computer files of artists whose work in paint, photography, and fiber I find inspiring.
How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on more than one project at a time?
I try to start a project when an idea hits me, so I am often working on multiple projects at the same time.
My sewing studio is large enough to accommodate multiple creative piles of chaos. Sometimes a breakthrough with fabric or design in one project will help on another one.
For instance, if I’m working on a project with silk fusion and another in cotton fabrics, seeing a particular shade of silk fusion can inspire me to add a small amount of silk fusion to the cotton project.
When I need a spark of inspiration, I am most likely to return to my mathematical roots. I have made a number of quilts based on patterns from my teaching days, including spirals, fractals, and geometric objects.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
Recently I was invited to be one of four artists featured in the opening of an art gallery corridor at my synagogue, Temple Sinai of Rochester, NY. I wanted to create a new art quilt for this event, one which had special meaning for me.
Having traveled to Israel many times and taken thousands of photographs there, I perused all the images looking for inspiration. I settled on an image of people praying at The Wall in Jerusalem. I wanted the piece to reflect my deep connection to Judaism but feel inspiring to all people.
I free-hand drew the template on freezer paper to the size specified by the art committee, emphasizing the perspective of looking up at the wall from its base. I knew I wanted to create the stones of the wall from silk fusion and asked my Sassy group for any brown or neutral colored silk fusion they had in their stash.
I copied the template onto muslin and used a light box to trace each individual stone to be fused down. The rows of stone were stitched down with silk thread and hand appliqué added vegetation to the ancient wall. The only cotton material in the quilt are the human figures.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Stop criticizing your own work. Learn to see what you’ve accomplished and be proud if you’ve done something (anything) well.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
My quilt group Sassy acts as my “posse.” We meet usually twice a month at each other’s homes and we share many things in addition to quilting. We’ve supported each other through health scares, family issues, and all sorts of problem solving.
If I’m stuck on how to quilt a finished top, what type of thread to use to stitch down silk fusion, or missing a certain color of fabric, it is the wonderful women of Sassy that I turn to.
We also create challenge projects within the group, such as “The Thirteen Color Challenge.” The rules for this challenge were:
- make a quilt that is original in design
- ensure that it measures approximately 48” x 60” when finished
- Incorporate a fixed set of 13 solid color fabrics
We each worked in our own style, creating very different quilts. The zebra quilt was my response to the challenge.
Where can people see your work?
Some work is found at my ciaPhoto website. I started the website for my photography business back in 2007. Unfortunately, there never seems to be enough time to keep the website updated with my latest creations.
Interview posted January 2025
Browse through more inspiring art quilts on Create Whimsy.