Panamanian Molas
Several years ago, I went to the Pacific International Quilt Show, which is held every fall in Santa Clara, California. Among the vendors I found someone selling Panamanian molas, which are a textile art produced by the Kuna tribe of San Blas, an island off Panama, in Central America. Their work is colorful and sometimes depicts animals, usually on blouses, bags,skirts etc. I was chatting with the vendor and said too bad there is no yardage of molas. She quietly took me to the rear of her booth and under the table, out of sight, she had panels of molas, just what I wanted. She said she does not put it out because it is not the handmade, embroidered applique of the real thing, and has faced criticism in the past. We went back and forth and I ended up with this panel. It felt exciting buying from under the table. The intrigue had me and I happily left with my purchase. For the backing, I am using a fabric by Andover called Tree of Life, which is a reproduction of a textile that is at the Museum of New Mexico, in Santa Fe. I had been saving it for a special project, the start of something good. I see embellishments in my future.
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Reproduction mola panel
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TRee of Life by Andover Fabrics