Two Toucans Beak To Beak In A Green Frame Kuna Mola

Two toucans face off across the middle of this panel, their heavy beaks almost touching, each head a deep burgundy worked over with fine stitched lines and set with a round white eye. Their bodies are ruled with black bars, and between the bars run stripes of rose, blue, gold, lime and magenta, so the birds seem to be wearing striped waistcoats. A green, gold and orange border runs twice around the whole piece and folds inward beneath the birds into square hooks. Little dashes of pink, blue and violet drift over the burgundy ground. It is 17 inches wide and 12 inches high, a bold panel for a wall or a large cushion. Every line is cut and turned by hand in the reverse appliqué the Guna are known for.

A mola is a hand stitched panel made by the Guna people of Panama, once known as the Kuna. Several layers of colored cotton are stacked, then cut down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and every raw edge is turned and stitched closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué. Guna women have been refining it for generations, and the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest where they live.

TraderBrock has bought directly from Guna, Embera, Wounaan and Ngäbe artisans since 1991, and sales revenue goes back into those communities for education, medical care, tools and land. This panel came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and it can be hand washed. No two molas are ever alike, and small variations in size, stitching and color are normal in handmade textiles.

Width: 17"
Height: 12"
SKU: PM1302T

MACHINE WASHABLE To clean, machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle tumble dry on low, do not bleach or iron