A Bulldog That Reads Two Ways At Once Panama Mola

Look at this one for a moment and it keeps changing on you. A single gold outline swings across the burgundy ground and gathers into a dog, or perhaps two dogs sharing a middle, with a small square eye set into a green and orange head at each end and a curled tail dropping away on either side. Two long black leaf shapes stand upright in the center, edged with lime and pink zigzag stitching, and rows of little pill shapes fill the flanks. Short dashes in blue, pink, orange and cream scatter over the background. It is 16 inches wide and 12 inches high. 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: 16"
Height: 12"
SKU: PM1562T

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