Two Hook Beaked Birds In Cream Maze Boxes Panama Mola

Two round bodied birds with strong hooked beaks perch inside cream maze boxes on a deep burgundy ground. One is edged in lime and the other in orange, and both are filled with rows of small stitched scallops in pink, yellow and turquoise. Bright dashes are tucked into every corner box around them. It is 17 inches wide and 12 inches high, a good size for a pillow front.

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: 12"
SKU: 22051772T