Green Striped Jungle Critter Holds Still Panama Mola

Green Striped Jungle Critter Holds Still Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. The jungle critter sits at the heart of a pieced diamond, and each triangle around it holds its own small spiral, a frame within a frame that pulls your eye straight to the center. It has the stillness of an animal that knows exactly where you are and has decided not to move. It measures 16 inches wide and 11 inches high, which gives you a solid, readable piece that holds its own on a wall by itself. Try it over a console table in a hallway, where people naturally slow down as they pass.

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"
Height: 11"
SKU: PM3363T