Two Grinning Figures Up To Something Kuna Mola

Two Grinning Figures Up To Something Mola is a handmade textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. Two figures stand shoulder to shoulder on black, grinning wide, with bows at their crowns and arms flung out in rainbow bands. You can tell they've already agreed on something, and you're the last to find out. At 15.5 inches wide and 11.5 inches high it makes a lively wall piece, and while every layer of cloth was cut by hand, a sewing machine helped with some of the stitching. It suits a playroom, a child's room, or a cushion on a reading chair.

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. 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: 15.5"
Height: 11.5"
SKU: PM0448T