A Pair Of Holiday Bells Ringing In Pink Guna Mola

Two bells hang side by side at the center of this panel, each outlined in a wide band of dusty pink and filled with a jumble of colored segments, orange, green, magenta and gold, that read like light caught on metal. Sprigs of leaves reach in from every corner, edged in blue, green and yellow, and small maze hooks in orange and lime float in the burgundy ground between them. It is 17.5 inches wide and 12 inches high, a cheerful thing to hang at the end of the year and good enough to leave up all winter. Every piece is cut and turned by hand in reverse appliqué.

A mola is a hand stitched panel made by the Guna people of Panama, once known as the Kuna. Several layers of colored cotton are stacked, then cut down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and every raw edge is turned and stitched closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué. Guna women have been refining it for generations, and the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest where they live.

TraderBrock has bought directly from Guna, Embera, Wounaan and Ngäbe artisans since 1991, and sales revenue goes back into those communities for education, medical care, tools and land. This panel came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and it can be hand washed. No two molas are ever alike, and small variations in size, stitching and color are normal in handmade textiles.

Width: 17.5"
Height: 12"
SKU: PM1757T