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Rows Of Red Scrolls That Never Finish Panama Mola

This one is pure pattern, no creature anywhere in it. Rows of hooked red scrolls interlock across a black ground, each one turning back on itself so the eye keeps rolling along the row and never quite finds the end. The maker has slipped a handful of small bright slivers into the gaps, a yellow here, a pink, a turquoise, an orange, and they work like sparks scattered across dark cloth. The two rows are set slightly out of step with one another, which keeps the whole thing from ever going flat. It is 15 inches wide and 11 inches high. Every line is cut and turned by hand in the reverse applique the Guna are known for.

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: 15"
Height: 11"
SKU: PM3096T