How to Quilt an American Stamp

Over the weekend Life magazine ran a three-page article, How to Quilt an American Stamp, on the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama and how the new stamps (see my post of August 8), being issued next Friday, came to be.

There is also a interesting side-bar article and photographs on how the stamps were printed.

Shown above is Lorreta Pettway, who created one of the quilts featured on the stamps. According to the article, Gee's Bend quilts are made largely freehand with few guidelines. The shape, color, and design are left to the maker and reflect a certain mood.

The article points out that Pettway's quilt feature blues and grays in which sadness pervades, hinting at a hard life.

Life magazine is now distributed with certain weekend newspapers around the country. It is not available for purchase by itself and there is no on-line link.

However, I will be glad send a copy to anyone who sends me a #10, self-addressed envelope along with a $1 to cover copying, postage and handling.

If you live outside the United States, you can just send me some nice, recent, mint commemoratives (worth a $1 or so)from your country along with a self-addressed envelope and we'll call it even.

Send your request to:

Stamp Collecting Round-up
Att: Don Schilling
P.O. Box 712165
Bunker Hill Station,
Los Angeles, CA 90071