Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum | |
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Born | Marilyn J. Leavitt August 1, 1946 Youngstown, Ohio |
Died | August 14, 2012 Newark, New York | (aged 66)
Nationality | American |
Known for | Embroidery Design |
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 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]
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]
She was married three times and had six children: Jeff, Nora, and Elizabeth Adams, Corriander "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]