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Pink Tails Rising Behind A Watchful Jaguar Panama Mola

The jaguar in this panel sits very still, his yellow rimmed face carrying two white eyes and a curl of stitched detail at the muzzle, his maroon chest ruled with fine pale lines. Behind him two magenta tails rise and curl over at the tips like fern heads. He rests on a wide maroon form outlined in orange and stitched with blue and gold wave lines, finished at each end with a small tail tip, and dark claw shapes reach out on either side. The black ground behind is dashed with lime, orange, red, teal and white, and a sand coloured line follows the outer silhouette. It is 16 inches wide and 11 inches high. The shapes were cut down through stacked layers of coloured cotton and the raw edges folded under by hand so the colour beneath shows, the reverse applique technique.

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: 16"
Height: 11"
SKU: PM3703T