Three Stacked Zigzag Ovals Panama Mola

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Three Stacked Zigzag Ovals Mola is a hand sewn textile panel made by the Guna people of Panama, known for generations as the Kuna. Three rounded ovals fill the cloth, each built fr om bands that zigzag across the middle and finish in a row of bright teeth at the base, with loose stitched lines drifting over the ground above. Pure shape, and it holds attention without a single creature in it. At 16.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches high it works as modern abstract art and needs nothing but a plain frame. Good in a modern living room, an office, or a space with clean lines.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: 16.5"Height: 12.5"SKU: 22052601T Show more