Mandora Young

Mandora Young was born in Vientiane, Laos. She came to the United States in 1979 as a refugee to California. She learned Hmong embroidery from both her mother and grandmother, who are skilled in cross-stitching, reverse applique, and story cloth stitching. Mandora enjoys teaching Hmong embroidery to students, adults, and anyone who wants to learn about Hmong paj ntaub (flower cloth). Making paj ntaub is a way to preserve and continue the Hmong needlework that has been passed down from generations to generations through memorization and continuous paj ntaub making.