Suzanne Thao, 66, was born "Xyo Mim (in reference to the first star next to the moon) Vaj "in Phou Mou, Long Cheng, Laos.  She went to Vientiane Noon Bone school run by nuns in Laos from 1972-1973 and graduated from Park Saan school in Laos in 1975. On January 14th ,1976, she married Nhia Toua Thao in a refugee camp in Non Khai, Thailand, and they both migrated shortly after to France in the same year. 

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Suzanne learned paj ntaub at the age of seven from her paternal grandmother Mee Xiong and mother Chia Lo. Her mother was a prolific paj ntaub maker whose works are so sharp and precise it is hard to believe they were handmade. Suzanne has kept her mother’s paj ntaub and shares it with her students. She first learned how to cross-stitch traditional Hmong patterns ,then moved on to learn the more difficult and advanced sewing technique of applique and reverse applique.

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Since 2016, Suzanne has partnered with the Hmong Museum to teach Project Paj Ntaub a three-hour monthly class, where participants learn and make one of the two traditional Hmong Paj Ntaub techniques: cross-stitch and applique. Outside of workshops, she also offers one-on-one mentoring time for participants who need follow up support for difficult stitches or projects. The handmade pieces will adorn Hmong skirts, hats, and baby carriers, and non-traditionally, decorative pieces that are for pure creative enjoyment. Paj ntaub making was a lively part of her identity as a Hmong woman, and she is committed to ensure future generations have the opportunity to learn and connect with the art of paj ntaub.