I owe my love of sewing to my grandmother. I stayed with her for a week during the summer between third and fourth grade. She had a gorgeous jacket of yellow and green Kente cloth, and one day, she caught me trying it on. It was like a gown on me, and the sleeves hung to my knees. Grandma smiled and said, “That’s a very special jacket that my mother gave me. The colors stand for royalty and green gardens.” I told her I wished I could have such a special jacket. She said that we could work together to design and sew my own. By the end of that week, I had my beautiful jacket and a new obsession.