In the sleepy town of Kailua on O'ahu's windswept eastern shore, Deb Mascia, owner of the boutique Mu'umu'u Heaven, carefully goes through a stack of faded, distressed and worn mu'umu'u. Once separated and organized, the Hawaiian-style full-length dresses will have new life breathed into them as the dated fabric will be cut, sewn and stitched into a fresh piece of modern couture custom-fitted for President Obama and the First Family.

For the Obamas, the fabric used to make their soon-to-be wardrobe additions carry with it decades of history and close-knit memories as it formerly belonged to the late Madelyn "Toot" Dunham, grandmother to President Obama and a renowned fan of the mu'umu'u. When Dunham passed away in her Honolulu home last November at the age of 86, she left behind a somber grandson, a saddened nation, and an apartment full of her belongings. In the days following her passing, Senator Obama would famously become President-Elect Obama while his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, would take to the unfortunate business of gathering up the contents of their grandmother's apartment.

Mu'umu'u Heaven's colorful production room, where vintage mu'umu'u are integrated into an eclectic assortment of handmade dresses, skirts, blouses, shirts and bags through creative design fused with principles of sustainability.

An elegant creation for the First Lady designed to show off her striking arms.

"I've known Maya for a few years now and we've become really close friends," says Mascia. "When I heard that Toot had passed away, I called her up to say how sorry I was. I told her to make sure that she didn't throw anything out and to bring whatever she had over to my store and I'd take care of the rest." When Mascia was presented with the box of Dunham's favorite mu'umu'u by Soetoro-Ng, she offered to make her and the rest of the family a few unique pieces to help hold on to Dunham's memory.

According to Mascia, this isn't the first time that she has been approached to refashion a piece of clothing left behind from a loved one's passing. "I had a woman who came to me a while back with her late-grandmother's kimono who wanted me to make her a wedding dress out of it," says Mascia. "When it was done and she tried it on, I didn't even want to charge her for it! I was in tears. I love seeing that kind of connection between a family."

Although her operation originally began fashioning haute skirts out of discarded mu'umu'u two years ago, it has quickly morphed into a full-scale business for Mascia and her team of nine employees who now fabricate everything from skirts, dresses and tops to handbags and pillows. Her line for men has been somewhat more restricted, reserved for a few prized floral-print-embroidered polos and other custom pieces.

When asked what form Dunham's mu'umu'u would take when given to the Obamas, Mascia envisions Michelle, Sasha and Malia all receiving dresses with President Obama receiving a customized shirt. Whatever transformation the mu'umu'u will have undergone when they are personally delivered by Mascia to the White House later this year, one thing is abundantly clear: it will have been a labor of love for the seamstress.

"I think that all of the pieces that I make are very special," says the energetic fabric artist. "I'm really passionate about what I do in general. But when I'm creating something for someone that's derived out of a loved one's old clothes, there's another aspect to the piece. There's just so much history thereÞso many memories, so many smells. When Sasha and Malia get their dresses, their dad can tell them all of the stories about their great-grandmother. I'm really honored and happy to be a part of that. It gives me a bit of chicken skin."