Curling Numerals Around Leaves And Blossoms Panama Mola

Curling Numerals Around Leaves And Blossoms Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. Big curling numerals in hot pink and yellow wrap around the middle in two rows, and the loop at the end of each one sprouts into a small head with feelers. It is the sort of design that makes you smile before you have worked out what you are seeing. The panel is 15 inches wide and 11.5 inches high, a compact size for a frame or a small throw pillow. It would brighten a craft room, a home office or any corner where you keep your calendar.

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: 11.5"
SKU: PM2538T