From Grade 5 in Ghana
to Franknero.
From my school years in Ghana to my life in the United States, sewing has remained part of my journey. What began with lessons from my uncle became a craft I carried through school, college, teaching, and eventually across continents.
Learning to Sew in Ghana
My journey with sewing began when I was in Grade 5 in Ghana, when my uncle, Emmanuel Kwame Mortey, taught me how to sew.
What started as a childhood skill became something much more lasting. I kept sewing as I progressed through school, continuing to practice, work with fabric, construct garments, and learn from every project I completed.
Sewing was not something I tried for a short time and left behind. It became part of my life. As my education progressed, so did my experience with the craft.
Sewing Through Every Stage of My Education
From childhood into adulthood, I continued sewing while pursuing my education and later beginning my professional life.
To My Uncle, Emmanuel Kwame Mortey
Every journey has a beginning, and mine began with someone willing to take the time to teach me.
I want to give special thanks to my uncle, Emmanuel Kwame Mortey, in Ghana, who introduced me to sewing when I was in Grade 5.
At that age, I could not have known how far the skill he was teaching me would travel. I carried it through elementary school, middle school, high school, Teacher Training College, and my years working as a teacher.
Eventually, I carried that same craft with me from Ghana to the United States.
Uncle Emmanuel, thank you for taking the time to teach me how to sew. What you taught me as a child stayed with me through every stage of my journey. Franknero Alterations & Tailoring is also a reflection of what you helped begin many years ago.
Frank Enamevo Dzidula
Bringing the Craft to the United States
When I traveled to the United States, I brought with me a craft I had already been developing since childhood.
In Pennsylvania, I continued sewing and further developing my garment-construction skills. The garments featured in my current portfolio represent sewing work I completed here in the United States.
My sewing journey in the United States also led me to work with Ronald Mills Designer. That experience gave me opportunities to further develop my skills through professional garments and stage-related projects.
Working on different garments, materials, construction details, and creative projects added another level of experience to the foundation I had first developed in Ghana.
A Bomber Jacket From Georgia
When Ronald Mills later relocated to Georgia, I was discouraged. An important part of my sewing experience in Pennsylvania had changed, and for a time it felt as though that chapter might have ended.
But the sewing connection did not completely disappear.
Ronald later sent me a bomber jacket project from Georgia to work on. That project meant more to me than simply completing another garment. It reminded me that the skill I had carried for so many years still had a place in my life.
Today, that bomber jacket and other garments I have worked on form part of the body of work behind Franknero Alterations & Tailoring.
“The location changed. My career changed. Life changed. But the craft remained.” My Sewing Journey
Why Franknero Alterations & Tailoring
After carrying this skill for so many years, I reached a point where I did not want to leave a talent that had been part of my life since childhood unused.
Franknero Alterations & Tailoring is my decision to give that craft a home of its own and another opportunity to grow.
Today, I am bringing those years of hands-on sewing experience into a service focused on helping men, women, and children get a better fit from the clothing they already own.
From hemming and resizing to reshaping, repairs, sleeve adjustments, waist alterations, dresses, trousers, jackets, uniforms, and other garment adjustments, the goal is to approach each piece with care.
Every garment is different. I want to understand what the customer needs, inspect how the garment is constructed, determine what can reasonably be done, and give the work the attention it deserves.
Experience
A sewing journey beginning in childhood and continuing through education, work, and life in the United States.
Personal Attention
Each garment is considered individually based on the customer’s needs and the garment’s construction.
Craftsmanship
Years of hands-on sewing experience guide the care given to each alteration and garment project.
Other Chapters of My Journey
Although tailoring is the story behind Franknero, my professional journey has also taken me into education, healthcare, technology, business, authorship, and entrepreneurship.
After beginning my professional career as a teacher in Ghana, I later built a career in healthcare in the United States, where I have more than 13 years of healthcare experience. I continued my education and earned a Master of Science in Health Informatics from Saint Joseph’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management from Southern New Hampshire University, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
I am also an author, business professional, and entrepreneur. Each of these experiences has become another chapter of my life, but none erased the craft that began when I was a child in Ghana.
Through education, teaching, healthcare, business, writing, and life in the United States, sewing remained with me. Franknero Alterations & Tailoring is not a new interest—it is the continuation of a craft that has been part of my life since Grade 5.
From a Childhood Skill to Franknero.
What began with my uncle teaching me to sew in Grade 5 in Ghana continued through school, college, teaching, and eventually across continents to the United States. Franknero Alterations & Tailoring is the next chapter of that journey.