Two Grackle Birds Deep In Gossip Panama Mola

Two Grackle Birds Deep In Gossip Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. The grackles stand face to face with a single outline running unbroken from their crests down into a tangle of legs and maze lines, and each has a flower shaped eye with curling lashes. It reads like two old friends trading secrets over a fence, and you instantly want in on it. It is 15.5 inches wide and 12 inches high, easy to frame and a good match for the other gossiping pairs in this collection. Hang it in a kitchen or by the phone, wherever the talk happens.

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: 15.5"
Height: 12"
SKU: PM2643T