Mirrored Peach Scrolls On A Black Field Guna Mola

Mirrored Peach Scrolls On A Black Field Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. This one is pure pattern, mirrored scrolls edged in hot magenta and traced with a fine row of white running stitches, above short stitched bars set like fence posts. Its restraint has a calming effect, like a well played piece of music with no wasted notes. The panel is 15 inches wide and 11 inches high, a good size for a pillow front or a small frame. With so few shades at work, it reads boldly from right across your living room or down a long hallway.

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: 15"
Height: 11"
SKU: PM2080T