Arounna Khounnoraj is an artist and maker living in Canada, where she immigrated with her family from Laos at the age of four. She earned a master’s degree in fine arts in sculpture and ceramics, but it was through subsequent art residencies that she found her current focus in fibre arts with an emphasis on surface design techniques and textile printing. . In 2002, Arounna and her husband, John Booth, co-founded Bookhou. Bookhou is a multi-disciplinary studio where Arounna furthered her interest in screen printing and block printing to translate her drawings onto fabric. Her use of hand-drawn imagery and botanical references contributed to a full range of items, such as home goods and personal accessories. Her use of natural materials—combined with her ever-expanding interest in various forms of stitchwork such as embroidery and punch needle—gives her work all the qualities of handmade, slow design. Arounna has collaborated with artists and manufacturers both locally and internationally. She has created two fabric collections with Free Spirit and is working on new textile designs for Kokka in Japan. She has also collaborated with Socksappeal and Roots Canada, creating products with her designs. Arounna has complimented her studio work by teaching workshops on various techniques all over the globe and has expanded this work with a significant social media presence, including her popular videos on stitching techniques and her studio explorations. She has done online workshops for the past few years and has created teaching videos with The Crafters Box and Creative Bug. Arounna’s videos helped to popularize a renewed interest in punch needle techniques, and in 2019 she published her first book, Punch Needle: Master the Art of Punch Needling Accessories for You and Your Home. In 2020, she released Visible Mending, which introduced mending and reusing clothing as a personal and hands-on way to address overconsumption and fast fashion issues in the textile industry. Arounna currently lives in Toronto, Canada. Find her work at bookhou.com and on Instagram @bookhou.