A Chestnut Mandibled Toucan Taking Its Time Kuna Mola

A Chestnut Mandibled Toucan Taking Its Time Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A heavy billed bird sits square in the middle, its breast worked in rainbow chevrons, and the ground around it is cut into a maze of curls and hooks that holds it in place. It looks perfectly unbothered, and that ease is a nice thing to borrow on a hectic day. At 15 inches wide and 10.5 inches high, it frames neatly and works as a pillow front too. Your breakfast nook or a light filled hallway would suit it.

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: 10.5"
SKU: PM0471T