Curly Crested Bird With Rainbow Tail Panama Mola

Curly Crested Bird With Rainbow Tail Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A plump bird with a spray of curling crest feathers takes up most of the panel, and its long tail is banded in rainbow stripes the way a Guna maker might show a rainforest bird in full display. Its proud, showy strut is a little pep talk for anyone having a flat day. It is 17 inches wide and 12.5 inches high, a size that makes a striking frame over a console table. Put it in a bright living room or a hallway you walk through every day.

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: 17"
Height: 12.5"
SKU: 22051810T