A Spiral Spacecraft Trailing Eight Colored Pods Panama Mola

A Spiral Spacecraft Trailing Eight Colored Pods Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. Eight arms reach out from a square spiral at the center to eight coiled pods, so the whole thing reads like a little craft lowering its landing legs. Anyone who grew up on late night science fiction will grin at it before they quite know why. This is one of our bargain panels, priced lower because its finish falls short of our best pieces, and at 16.5 inches wide and 11.5 inches high it still makes a lively pillow front or a fun piece to frame. The top edge is raw and unbound and one pod crowds the border, so you may want to fold that edge under before it goes on a sofa in a game room or a kid's bedroom.

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: 16.5"
Height: 11.5"
SKU: PM2563T

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