Vintage Spotted Squirrel In Its Nest Panama Mola

Vintage Spotted Squirrel In Its Nest Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A dark squirrel covered in small colored squares sits inside a triangle nest, with looping bands of orange, yellow and blue around it and a leaf on each side, on a deep red ground. Little triangles fill the corners, and printed cloth flashes through the bands as they loop around. It spans 17 inches wide and 11 inches high. A nature lover in your family would find a lot to enjoy here.

From Jan at MolaMagic: My tip off that this is a vintage mola is the background material. From 1950 to 1970 mola artists used colorful cloth to add both color and design. It is a neat technique, but I don't see it anymore.

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.

MolaMagic was founded by Janet Marie Brockman with a simple but powerful mission: to help indigenous women of color in Panama share their art with the world. For over twenty years, all profits have gone right back into the artisan community, supporting education, medical care, land, tools, and daily needs. Buying a MolaMagic mola means you are part of that story too.

Width: 17"
Height: 11"
SKU: PM0077T

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