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Tools and Supplies: The
tools and supplies needed to design and make a Mola are simple and basic:
cotton fabric, thread, a pencil, sissors, a thimble and a needle. In the
1970s, the Peace Corp arrived in the San Blas Islands with treadle sewing
machines. Their purpose was to help the
Kuna
Women in their mola making by teaching them how to use these machines.
The artists quickly rejected the automation and returned to the simple
needle and thread process to accomplish their intricate work. A sewing
machine is sometimes used to secure Molas to garments, purses and other
commercial items. A collector will occasionally find a machine stitched
mola from the '70s. (Click on the photo for a closer look at the tools.) |
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Construction and Design: A mola
panel can have two to seven layers of cloth. The layers of fabric, cut
in rectangles, are basted together and a design is sketched with pencil
on the top layer of cloth. Some of the more experienced Kuna women can
work without sketches. The fabric most often selected for use in making
a Mola is cotton. Red, black and orange are the dominant colors used, however,
every color imaginable can be found in the accent fabrics used. (Click
on the photo for a closer look at the pencil sketch.)
The Indian artists are inspired by everything
when determining a theme for their Molas. The dominance of realistic objects
in Mola motifs stems from an observance of nature in everyday jungle
and village life; to the other extreme, images conjured from dreams, fantasies
and pure imagination, including abstracts of monsters
and devils.
Nature unquestionably dominates the Mola
theme: birds,
animals,
sea-life,
plants
and flowers are the subject of many pieces. Tribal teachings, superstitions
and village life are also recorded in the fabric panels. The influx of
North Americans after the construction of the Panama
Canal gave the Kuna women even more subjects to sew into their blouses.
The wealth of graphic images from magazines, comic books, trademarks, labels
and advertisements offer endless ideas for Mola design. Of course, traditional
geometric
cut-outs remain popular. |
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Cutting and Sewing: Fabric is snipped
away, closely following the design, to reveal the lower layers of fabric.
The cut is made through one or more layers to reveal the selected accent
color. The raw edges of the cut section are notched to avoid bunching,
turned under and stitched, permanently exposing the lower layer of fabric
and creating the intended pattern. The artist of the mola on the left used
three full layers of fabric in traditional reds and black with several
smaller sections of fabric in primary colors for accent to create her design.
(Click on the photo for a closer look at how the cloth is layered!)
In general, larger patterns are cut from
the top piece and, progressively, smaller patterns are cut from the successive
under layers. Cutting through to various levels is not always done in sequence
but according to the whims of the seamstress.
Note: When a color is chosen for a small
section of the Mola, the artist often inserts a small piece of fabric in
only the area where it will be used. If you look closely at Mola-20,
(use
the back button in your tool bar to return to this page after viewing Mola-20)
you can see the outline of the middle layer of cloth (black fabric) used
as an accent color in this predominantly red, yellow and blue mola, cut
away so it does not interfere with other pieces of cloth in different colors
which the artist also used for accent. |
1996-2001
by Sherry Thorup. All rights reserved.