Introducing My Quilt “Original Sin” Inspired by the Banned Book “The 1619 Project”

Original Sin, 53 X 70 inches by O.V. Brantley, 2025. Inspired by the book “1619”. Machine quilted by Maxine Moore. NFS.

According to the book The 1619 Project the White Lion was the first slave ship to arrive in the United States. It arrived in Virginia in late August, 1619 and spawned centuries of horror. This simple fact was the inspiration for my quilt Original Sin which I made in response to a call for banned book quilts Issued by the Atlanta Quilt Festival.

Word and quilting detail

I love to include words in my quilts, and I have used the crossword motif in the past to explicitly tell a story in my quilts. I chose a blue ad white palette inspired by the cover of the book. The word choices spell out the story I am telling.

African fabric representing the homeland of those kidnapped and enslaved.

Original Sin measures 53 X 70 inches. I used fused machine applique to create the words. My friend Maxine Moore quilted Original Sin in a wavy pattern to carry out the concept of a ship sailing to America.

Back of “Original Sin”

“Original Sin” label.

The back of the quilt is a blue and cream African print. I added a hanging sleeve on the back for easy display and a label that documents the quilt.

“Original Sin” signature and charm

I signed it on the front and added a charm that says “Live Free”. I love the stark simplicity of this quilt.

“Original Sin”