Striding Long Legged Bird With Layered Wings Panama Mola

Striding Long Legged Bird With Layered Wings Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A rooster strides across the wine red ground with both wings thrown open, each wing built from stacked feathers in lime, orange, blue and violet. The whole figure struts with so much swagger that it is impossible to look at it without smiling. At 21 inches wide and 14 inches high, it is one of the larger panels and holds a wall on its own. A farmhouse kitchen or a big open living room gives it the space it deserves, and your guests will ask about it.

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: 21"
Height: 14"
SKU: 22051567T