Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum (August 1, 1946 – August 14, 2012) was an American cross-stitch embroidery designer known especially for her Victorian angel designs.^[1] Her designs were published under the business name Told in a Garden, with product divisions of Told in a Garden, Lavender and Lace, and Butternut Road.

Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum
Born	Marilyn J. Leavitt (1946-08-01)August 1, 1946 Youngstown, Ohio
Died	August 14, 2012(2012-08-14) (aged 66) Newark, New York
Nationality	American
Known for	Embroidery Design

Biography

Early life

Marilyn J. Leavitt was born August 1, 1946, in Youngstown, Ohio,^[2] where she attended Ursuline High School.^[3] She was the daughter of Marcella (née O'Toole) and Earle Leavitt. She had one brother, Bruce.^[2][4]

Career

Her professional design career began in the 1960s, working as an advertising and fashion illustrator for Strouss and Hartzell, Rose and Sons.^[5]

Leavitt-Imblum began publishing embroidery designs around 1986, when she showed her original design "The Quilting", depicting an Amish quilting bee, to the owner of a local needlework shop who told her that if she graphed the design the shop would sell it.^[5] The first 25 copies sold almost immediately. Within a decade, her Victorian angel designs were considered among the most popular cross-stitch designs available.^[6] In 2000, she publicly stated her opposition to the unlicensed sharing of needlework patterns on the Internet.^[7]

Personal life

She was married three times and had six children: Jeff, Nora, and Elizabeth Adams, Corriander Master "Corrie Ferenchak”,^[8] and Matt and Sarah Imblum.^[2] She had multiple sclerosis but did not widely publicize the fact.^[5] She died on August 14, 2012, in Newark, New York, aged 66.^[2]

Her daughter Nora is an artist and fellow cross-stitch embroidery designer, under her married name, Nora Corbett.^[9][10]