Friday, December 17, 1999

The design above is like those of the ancient art form of the Indians of Panama known as mola (moe-lay). It is a form of applique made with several layers of cloth. Instead of stitching one layer on top of another, like applique, the authentic mola pieces will have cuts through each layer to expose the layer below. The edges are then turned under and carefully hemmed and stitched to the layer below. The authentic pieces are not easy to find. The applique facsimiles are plentiful. I felt fortunate to find this piece in the short time alloted. It is almost all done in the mola technique except the large red/white/blue motifs which were appliqued to the center of the wings.

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