When I was a little girl, an entertaining activity for my family was to watch the airplanes taking off and landing at Love Field airport in Dallas. Oh, how times have changed. I suppose nowadays people parked on the edge of an airport watching planes come and go might look suspicious to our national security forces. But, those were simpler times when the Department of Homeland Security hadn't been invented yet and children were entertained by things that weren't on an electronic screen.
It's simpler times like those that are brought to mind with this year's U.S. Postal Service's "Love Stamp," which, incidentally, was dedicated at Dallas Love Field Tuesday. The stamp, officially named the Quilled Paper Heart Forever stamp, is the 44th stamp in the Love Stamp series. It features an image of a heart created with the art of quilling, aka paper filigree. The process involves rolling up narrow strips of paper and then shaping them into designs.
The dedication ceremony took place outside Love Field's security zone in front of the Moss Lee Love Garden. The event include the artwork of children, who designed paper hearts which were given to travelers in the airport.
The original artwork depicted on the stamp was created by renowned paper artist and illustrator Yulia Brodskaya who used two simple materials — paper and glue — the the intricate technique that involved placing carefully cut and bent strips of paper to make the lush, vibrant, three-dimensional paper heart artwork. The heart shape in the center is made from paper strips of bright colors surrounded by white paper swirls. The background is white with shadows cast by the dimensional pieces of quilled paper.
According to the U.S. Postal Service website, quilling is believed to date from the 15th or 16th century. The first known quillers were monks and nuns in European religious houses. Inspired by metal filigree, quilling was an inexpensive way to create elaborate decorations normally beyond the means of most churches and religious orders. When gilded or silvered, the curled paper could resemble the work of the finest goldsmiths and silversmiths, while designs made with cream-colored paper or vellum appeared to be carvings of ivory. During the past 20 years, quilling has gained a new popularity. It is a technique that has changed very little with the passage of time and is accessible to anyone. Modern-day quillers only need a few tools to get started — paper, scissors, glue and a quill-like implement for curling the strips.
Visit the USPS website for more details on all of the related products available.
With this post, a month before Valentine's Day, 365Letters blog will start a Month of Love Letters blog posts. Enjoy!
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