Who is Sujata Shah?

Sujata Shah, a graphic designer and textile artist, is originally from Mumbai, India. The mother of three grown children lives with her husband in San Francisco Bay area.

She has won awards for her quilts in local and national quilt shows and designed quilt patterns under the name of Rangoli Designs. Her teaching experiences include workshops inspired by the quilts of Gee's Bend, needle-turn applique based on her original designs and color and design workshops in Seattle area and Philadelphia. Her quilts have been shown at AQS in Lancaster and Padukah and the Pacific Northwest Quilt-Fest.

In 2003, She found an instant connection between the abstract utilitarian quilts of Gee's bend and Godharis from India. Her instinctive ability to work with colors and textures combined with education in graphic design has helped her develop a unique style as a designer.

She draws her inspirations from imperfections and irregularities of free-spirited folk art and crafts from around the world. As a calligraphy major, she believes that each handmade craft has a stamp of the maker. In 2014 she wrote the book, Cultural Fusion Quilts - A Melting Pot of Piecing Traditions. In which she introduced free-form blocks, an abstract interpretations of traditional quilt blocks to reflect her theory.

Talking about the process of finishing quilts, she says, "I find hand stitching therapeutic and nourishing to the soul. Through my quilts I remain connected to my past, my culture and heritage. More I hand stitch, stories of my daily life get stitched into my quilts. I rarely have a plan before the start of a quilt. Designing a quilt is an evolving process. I believe as the quilt evolves, I simply become the instrument in the making of that quilt."