The Postal Service issued the 39-cent Quilts of Gee's Bend commemorative stamps on August 24, 2006, in Des Plaines, Illinois, during the APS Stamp Show. The stamps, designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, were issued in ten designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of twenty stamps.
These stamps are the sixth in the American Treasures series that showcases beautiful works of American fine art and crafts.
Art director Derry Noyes chose photographs of ten quilts created between circa 1940 and 2001 by African-American women in Gee's Bend, Alabama. Created for the practical purpose of keeping warm, the quilts of Gee's Bend are noted for their unexpected color combinations, bold patterns, and improvised designs. The variety of materials with which they are made -- old dresses and worn-out work clothes, for instance -- also demonstrates great ingenuity.
Sennett Security Products manufactured the 500 million gravure stamps.
