Twin Macaws Guarding An Orange Bloom Kuna Mola

Twin Macaws Guarding An Orange Bloom Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. The two macaws perch back to back with an open flower between them, both with deep blue wing feathers and pale blue tails. The energy is loud and joyful, like a rainforest morning that you get to keep. At 18.5 inches wide and 15 inches high, this is one of the bigger panels and a real centerpiece once framed. Give it the main wall in a living room or a big open kitchen.

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: 18.5"
Height: 15"
SKU: 22052871T