Updated November 12th: Wayne Youngblood in Linn’s Stamp News reports an imperf pane of this issue was found at a small post office in Pennsylvania.

Updated March 7th: The Scott Catalogue number for this issue is 5036; the imperforate single is 5036a.

Updated January 15th: The stamps — and The Virtual Stamp Club! — are mentioned in a non-philatelic blog Anchored Scraps, about “old-fashioned” methods of correspondence.

Updated January 12th: A photo from today’s first day ceremony. Left to right: Karen Schott, Dallas District Manager of Marketing; Shaun Mossman, Acting Vice President Area Operations, Southern Area; Mark Duebner, Director of Aviation, City of Dallas; Janice D. Walker, VP of Corporate Communications; and Tim Costello, Dallas District Manager.

Updated December 24th: Pay no attention to the date for this issue indicated in today’s issue of the Postal Bulletin in its “How To Order Postmarks” section. It’s a mistake. January 12th is still the first-day date.

Updated December 11th: From the Postal Bulletin:
On January 12, 2016, in Dallas, TX, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Quilled Paper Heart stamp, (Forever® priced at 49 cents) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 586300).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 12, 2016.

This 2016 Love series stamp features an elegant heart created using the ancient art of quilling. Quilling — also called paper filigree — involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The heart shape in the center of the stamp art is made from paper strips of many colors and is surrounded by white paper swirls. The background is white with shadows cast by the dimensional pieces of quilled paper. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp. Paper artist and illustrator Yulia Brodskaya created the stamp art.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Quilled Paper Heart Stamp
401 Tom Landry Freeway, Rm 645
Dallas, TX 75260-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by March 12, 2016.

There are seven philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 586306 Press Sheet with Die-Cut, $98.00 (print quantity 250)
• 586308 Press Sheet without Die-Cut, $98.00 (print quantity 500)
• 586310 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95
• 586316 First-Day Cover, $0.93
• 586321 Digital Color Postmark, $1.64
• 586324 Framed Art, $39.95
• 586330 Ceremony Program, $6.95

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Quilled Paper Heart
Item Number: 586300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Love
Issue Date & City: January 12, 2016, Dallas, TX 75260
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Artist: Yulia Brodskaya, Herfordshire U.K.
Modeler: Michelle Finn/Sandra Lane
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta Model 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 150 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged, Block
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Cool Gray 8
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in./26.67 x 19.59 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in./30.23 x 23.11 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.43 x 5.64 in./138.00 x 143.13 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.27 x 27.13 in./286.26 x 688.98 mm
Plate Size: 200 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (586300) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

Here is the design of the Digital Color Postmark: It measures 2.99” x 1.36”. The black and white postmark will be the standard 4-bar FIRST DAY OF ISSUE.

From the USPS November 12th:
The Quilted Paper Heart Forever stamp will be dedicated at 10 a.m., Jan. 12 at the Dallas Love Airport, 8008 Herb Kelleher Way, Dallas, TX 75235.

The dedication ceremony will take place inside the airport where access to the public is permitted. The event will take place in the terminal in front of the Moss Lee Love Garden which is to the right of Love Landing as noted on the map of the terminal: http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/pdf/Terminal_Map.pdf

Here’s a link to a guide of the airport: http://www.dallas-lovefield.com/airport-guide.html

The 2016 Love stamp features an elegant heart created using the ancient art of quilling. Quilling—also called paper filigree—involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The name “quilling” likely comes from the original tool used to create the paper curls, the base of a feather or quill.

Artist Yulia Brodskaya used heavy paper strips to create her design, choosing bright colors that would be appealing and eye-catching. She curled the strips into curved lines and droplet shapes. After applying a small amount of glue to each shaped strip, she set them into place, slowly creating her design piece by piece. The heart shape in the center of the stamp art is made from paper strips of many colors and is surrounded by white paper swirls. The background is white with shadows cast by the dimensional pieces of quilled paper. The words “Forever” and “USA” appear below the design. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp.

Quilling—also known as paper filigree—involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The origin of the name “quilling” is obscure, but it might have come from the first tool used to create the paper curls, the base of a feather or quill.

No one knows how quilling originated or who first created a quilled design. However, quilling is believed to date from the 15th or 16th century and may have originated as far back as the 13th. The first known quillers were European monks and nuns in medieval religious houses. Inspired by the art of metal filigree, quilling was a comparatively inexpensive way to create detailed decorations that were beyond the means of most churches and religious orders. The monastic artists decorated holy pictures and reliquaries—containers holding sacred objects—and sometimes altarpieces with exquisite designs. When gilded or silvered, the curled paper could resemble the work of the finest gold- and silversmiths, while designs made with cream-colored paper or vellum appeared to be carvings of ivory.

Quilling has enjoyed fluctuating popularity over the centuries. It was particularly fashionable during the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. As a purely decorative art, quilling was practiced by ladies of leisure, who had the time and money to embellish household items—tea caddies, workboxes, frames, and even large pieces of furniture like cabinets and screens. Princess Elizabeth, an artist and the daughter of England’s King George III, was a quiller. Jane Austen mentions the art in Sense and Sensibility when Elinor Dashwood rolls papers for Lucy Steele, who is decorating a basket with quillwork. Colonial American women were known for creating elegant sconces to hold candles. Some surviving sconces sparkle with bits of glass added to the paper scrollwork, which would catch the light from the candle flames.

Paper is fragile and easily damaged or destroyed, so only a few examples of early work survive. The pieces in museum collections show the meticulous care that went into creating the elegant and delicate designs.

During the last 20 years, quilling has gained a new popularity. Craft guilds in several countries are forums for enthusiasts, and numerous books, blogs, and websites provide instruction and projects for the expert and novice alike. Exhibits by paper artists introduce the art form to a new audience. 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.
From the USPS August 20, 2015:
Love series
FDOI: First Quarter
Format: Pane of 20
The stamp art features an elegant heart created using the ancient art of quilling. Quilling involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The heart shape in the center of the stamp art is made from paper strips of many colors and is surrounded by white paper swirls on a white background.

Artist: Yulia Brodskaya
Art Director: Antonio Alcala

Notes: Stamp Services chief Mary-Anne Penner went to a county fair recently to see quilling in action.