Houa Yang learned to sew paj ntaub from her mother and another local Hmong seamstress. In a 2003 Quilters’ S.O.S. -- Save Our Stories interview she claimed that she was not very good at paj ntaub, as it is very complex. Instead, she preferred to make quilts in the style of the local Amish quilt industry in southeastern Pennsylvania. She began sewing what she calls “American quilts” when she was newly married, learning from her mother-in-law who worked on quilts, and earning extra money to help with her family’s bills. While Yang describes quiltmaking as a business, she also commented that “For me, I love quilting. It’s for business, but I always want to keep what I make. That’s the problem.”  Among the quilts she has designed is a pattern she calls “Grape Galore,” which she has copyrighted.