Khin Phyu Phyu Khine, an artist from Myanmar who now resides in Durham, has been creating handmade crochet work since she was 16.

Her work includes handmade bags, hand towels, pillows, clothing and other artisan handcrafted goods with intricate embroidery details.

Besides crochet and embroidery, she also owned a dress design business in Myanmar and previously worked leading dress alterations at David's Bridal after relocating.

"All the time, 24 hours, I was just crocheting and sewing," Khine said. "I was working so hard at 16 to learn this handmade stuff, not only to make women's clothing, but I was also able to open my own store at 18 with my own money."

She said that her business in Myanmar not only included her crochet work, but also traditional Burmese clothing such as wedding dresses. While managing her own business, she also continued to pursue her own education, earning a degree in economics.

Due to the civil war in Myanmar and the 2021 military coup, Khine was forced to resettle in the United States at 37. After relocating, she continued making handcrafted goods to sell from home.

"When I first came here, I didn't have anything," Khine said. "I didn't have fabric, I didn't have a sewing machine, I didn't have a car and I didn't have a job, but one of my close friends gave me some of the stuff."

While continuing her business in the United States, she connected with a Burmese customer that introduced her to Refugee Community Partnership, a community development organization located in Carrboro.

RCP is a grassroots organization working with refugee and migrant communities across central North Carolina. They provide a large variety of resources and services to migrant communities.