Broad Leaf Plant With A Square Bloom Panama Mola

A spray of long veined leaves opens across this burgundy panel, all held inside a bright yellow outline, with a squared medallion at the top center ringed in blue, orange and green. Two smaller leaf clusters lean in from the sides, and short colored dashes float around the edges. At 18.5 inches wide and 13.5 inches high, this is a large panel with real presence on a wall.

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: 18.5"
Height: 13.5"
SKU: 22051803T