Purple Blossom Ringed By Turquoise Vines Panama Mola

A four petal blossom in purple and plum with a bright green center sits at the heart of this panel, its petals shaded with fine yellow and white embroidery. Thick turquoise and pink bands loop around it like vines, four veined leaves fill the corners in gold, green, plum and blue, and short colored dashes fleck the black ground. The panel measures 17 inches wide by 11 inches high. It is hand stitched reverse appliqué on cotton.

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: 17"
Height: 11"
SKU: 22051620T