"After 'The Quilting' was framed, I took it proudly into my local needlework store. The owner said, "Graph it and I'll sell it." I thought she was crazy, but I did it using Xerox copies, sandwich bags and a photo. These packages didn't even have a top! She asked what I wanted to sell them for. I said, "a dollar?" When she insisted I sell it for $5, I was so embarrassed! It made me feel like I was stealing peoples' money for nothing. We folded graphs at the dining room table and packed boxes in the kitchen. It all started with a $50 investment and no advertising...word of mouth took them all across the world. Because of the many blessings this work has given me, I feel an obligation to make each new design better than the last.." Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum, 1995
Addendum: Marilyn passed away peacefully in August 2012. Our lives were blessed by her art and loving spirit. She was also the designer behind Butternut Road and Told in a Garden.