Mother Shows Her Son The Long Way Round Panama Mola

A mother and her son stand together on a deep burgundy ground, both drawn in wide channels of grass green that wander around them and fill every spare inch of cloth. Each figure carries a boxed panel across the shoulder holding bars of blue, lime, orange, cream and black, and below that a run of striped legs in violet, rose and yellow. Their faces are ringed in blue and red with a small white eye, and leaves crowd in at the left edge. Along the bottom runs a line of fine orange stitching that reads like the maker signing her own work. It is 18 inches wide and 12 inches high. The shapes were cut down through layers of cotton and the edges turned under by needle, the reverse applique technique.

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: 18"
Height: 12"
SKU: PM3750T

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