Mohini stitches by day and studies by night.
In the workshop, her hands move with quiet precision - threading colour through fabric, repeating motions she learned years ago from her mother. But when the day ends, her focus shifts. Books come out. Notes are revisited. A different kind of future begins to take shape.
Mohini is from Madhya Pradesh, a state in central India. She finished school through Year 12, the highest level available in her village, and then made a decision that feels both practical and quietly ambitious. She would work. And she would keep studying.
Like many of the women at Design Alchemy Collective, stitching wasn’t something Mohini set out to learn, it was simply part of growing up. A skill absorbed over time, passed down without ceremony, until it became second nature. “She learned from her mother,” we’re told.
But for Mohini, it didn’t stop there. What was inherited has become intentional.
Her dream is to become a teacher. Not just any teacher, a psychology teacher.
It’s a path that isn’t simple. In India, becoming a qualified teacher can take close to a decade of study, multiple degrees, and a series of competitive exams. It requires time, money, and persistence.
So, Mohini is building that path slowly. She works during the day, saving what she can. At night, she studies, on her own, preparing for exams that come once a year. When the time comes, she takes a day off work, sits the exam, and then returns to her routine.
Work. Study. Repeat. There’s something striking about how quietly determined she is. No big declarations. No dramatic plans. Just consistency.
In many ways, Mohini represents a different chapter in the story of the women behind these textiles. Where older generations often followed a set path - marriage, family, responsibility, Mohini is navigating something more layered. She is still part of that world, still contributing, still working with her hands.
But she is also building something beyond it. Education. Independence. Choice.
And yet, nothing is disconnected. The stitching still matters.
It is what allows her to study. What gives her the means to keep going. What connects her to the generations before her, even as she moves toward something new.
When you see Mohini’s work, it’s easy to admire the detail, the colour, the craftsmanship.
But behind it is a different kind of discipline.
Late nights. Long timelines. A goal that stretches years into the future.
At Design Alchemy Collective, these are the stories held within every piece.
Not just where something comes from - but where it’s going.
Because in Mohini’s hands, every stitch is doing two things at once:
Holding onto tradition. And quietly building a future beyond it.