I took a break from quilting to make a couple of molitas, a type of layered appliqué done by the Kuna women, who live on the islands along the coast of Panamá. They attach the molas to the fronts and backs of their blouses, which are also called molas. This red elephant molita is a copy of one that was on a T-shirt of a Quaker fiend of mine. In a market in Belize, a woman was admiring the dress my friend was wearing at the same time that my friend was admiring the molita T-shirt the woman was wearing. So they swapped clothes! Years later I saw this on my friend and nearly flipped b/c I collect elephant stuff. I photocopied the molita and then figured out how the artist made it. The Kuna women are really interesting to me. They smoke pipes and have nose rings. When a couple is ready to marry, the womans family kidnaps the man she chooses and throws him into her hammock. If he stays for three nights, they get married. After the marriage, the woman retains ownership of her property and the man goes to live in her house. To make these molas I layered a black piece of fabric on top of a yellow piece and cut an elephant shape out of the black fabric. Then I layered a red piece of fabric on top of a yellow piece and cut an elephant shape out of the red fabric.Then I appliquéd the red elephant where the black one was and the black elephant where the red one was, leaving a yellow channel around the elephants. Two molas made from each other is called tandem molas. I stayed true to everything, except I included an ear and did not do the embroidery on the face, trunk, tail, and legs. These are roughly 7. Made in 2009.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 22:42:19 +0000
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