We had the good fortune of connecting with O.V. Brantley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi O.V., what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Discipline. To succeed at anything, you must have a “can’t quit” attitude. This is especially true in quiltmaking. It can take over a year to make a special quilt. It takes patience and discipline to finish. Doing what it takes to finish is the key to success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make art quilts that are designed to encourage living a life of simple abundance with joy and gratitude. I am a retired local government lawyer who started quilting as a way to achieve work life balance in a stressful job. That was over 20 years ago. Since that time I have made over 300 quilts that I have gifted, donated or sold. Along the way, I began speaking about quilts through my trunk shows and became somewhat of an expert on quilts. I co-founded the Atlanta Quilt Festival, a month long celebration of quilts held each August. For me quilts mean joy, and I encourage everyone to be intentional about adding joy to their life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I take all of my friends to the Martin Luther King Center because it is a focal point of African American History. I would take them to Paschal’s restaurant for the same reason. I love festivals so if there was a festival in town like the Piedmont Jazz Festival or any other outdoor shopping, I would take them there. The Georgia Aquarium, the Civil Rights Museum and the High Museum are all cool places. My favorite restaurant is South City Kitchen. If my friend is a serious shopper, Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza cannot be missed.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Atlanta Quilt Festival by celebrating and promoting African American quilting. Daughter India Kleeman who travels the world with me to see quilts.

Website: ovspeaksquilts.com

Instagram: @ovspeaksquilts

Facebook: OVSpeaksQuilts

Image Credits
Ron Witherspoon India Kleeman

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.