Edward Bok, editor of Ladies' Home Journal from 1889 to 1919, solicited ideas for new ideas from his readers. In response, Marie Webster bundled up her first appliqué quilt and shipped it to him. He invited her to submit more, which she did, for publication in color. Webster’s quilts in the January 1911 issue elicited an overwhelming demand from American women for patterns. Instantly, this response thrust Webster into business.

Webster’s designs united tradition and modernism. Her artful reference to mid-19th-century red-and-green appliqué designs and historical medallion formats appealed to consumers with a Colonial Revival longing. Her restrained designs on white backgrounds appealed to more modern tastes.