Morning Rounds In The Lady's Red Garden Panama Mola

Morning Rounds In The Lady's Red Garden Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. The woman kneels in the middle of her garden with a small dark bird perched near her hand, and a gray maze frames the scene with a single leaf in each of the four corners. It has the unhurried peace of someone doing exactly what they love. At 17 inches wide and 12.5 inches high, it is one of the roomier panels and fills a wall nicely on its own. Hang it in a sunroom, a kitchen or near the door you use to step out into your own garden.

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: 17"
Height: 12.5"
SKU: PM3704T