Two Pairs Of Fancy Pants With Little Watchmen Guna Mola

Two Pairs Of Fancy Pants With Little Watchmen Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A small figure stands at each waistband with arms spread wide, as if keeping an eye on the laundry, and the legs below are packed with rows of tiny U shapes. It has the kind of everyday humor that turns a chore into a story worth telling. At 15 inches wide and 11.5 inches high it frames easily or sets neatly into a cushion. A laundry room wall is the obvious home for it, though your walk in closet would suit it just as well.

Molas are built by stacking several layers of colored cotton, then cutting down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and turning every raw edge under and stitching it closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué, and a good panel is judged by how fine the stitches are and how many layers deep the cutting goes. This one came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast, where the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and no two are ever alike.

Founded in 1991, TraderBrock celebrates the handcraft of Latin America's indigenous peoples. Every piece comes from Guna, Wounaan and Emberá artisans we know by name, and all profits are reinvested in their communities for education, tools and the teaching of ancestral techniques. Buying from TraderBrock helps keep their culture and their traditions alive.

Width: 15"
Height: 11.5"
SKU: PM2060T

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