This 1978 First Day Cover features the 13¢ Folk Art: Quilts stamp issued by the United States Postal Service on March 8, 1978, in Charleston, West Virginia. The cover bears a colorful cachet titled “The Quilting Bee,” depicting three generations of women gathered around a vibrant patchwork quilt in a cozy 19th-century kitchen setting.
Quilting represents an enduring American folk tradition that transformed necessity into artistry. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, quilting bees served as vital social gatherings for women in rural communities, combining practical work with storytelling and mutual support. By the 1970s, the Postal Service’s Folk Art series celebrated these traditions as part of America’s cultural heritage.
A notable detail is the stamp’s striking design: four separate 13¢ stamps form a larger block showing different traditional quilt patterns, including the distinctive “Double Wedding Ring” motif visible on the right. The cachet artwork is signed “KStine.”
Collectors will appreciate the clean Charleston, WV first-day cancel and the attractive, well-preserved cachet that highlights both the stamp design and the historic quilting theme.
