"The Tailor pt 2..."

 A few weeks ago, I wrote about the local tailor who has been coming to the ship to make wonderful creations for the crew. In the blog I showed you his shop and three treadle machines. 

As I told you in that previous blog, electricity is very unpredictable.  In can be on for hours or minutes, life here cannot be dependent upon regular electricity.

So I thought it would be interesting to show you the irons they use.  Coal irons.

When I first had something made in Benin, I did not understand why the clothing had a faint smell of smoke.  Now, that I have befriended Foday the tailor, I understand why there is the faint smoke smell-it is from the irons.

Abraham, the "go for boy" for the shop, is emptying the iron to replace the coal.  The coal is lifted out with scissors and then gets thrown into the gutter at the front of the shop.  Abraham, then runs a few stores down to the person who sells the coal to refill the iron for a fraction of a cent in US currency.

The iron is placed on this round cinder block  where they use the table to iron on, cut on, and measure on.

I find it amazing how they have such little space but yet make use of every area.