Molita is a word that means little mola,” in Spanish. Molas have intrigued me for some time now, but not only the molas themselves, but the people who make them. These textile treasures are the work of the Kuna Indians who live on a series of archipelagos off the coast of Panama. The tribes were discovered by traders a long time ago, and boats pull up to their shorelines, daily, to purchased goods from them, particularly molas.
Usually these molas have been disassembled from blouses, not made brand new for the tourist trade. Every time I think of the time I passed up buying a mola that depicts John and Jackie Kennedy, I could just have a hissy fit! It was in a museum shop, and at the time, fifty dollars seemed like “too much.” So much for being both stupid at the time and frugal by nature.
The Kuna Indians often feature sports figures or other celebrities, sometimes based on magazines or newspaper images that the tourists leave behind. There is much more information about molas on our website.
Molitas are smaller, less intricate versions of molas, often featuring less layers of cloth and less embroidery. Some people collect these tiny molas that may, at times, have been learning pieces for children or others. The image seen below is that of a bird. You see simplistic embroidery around the eye and that’s it. As you can also surmise, there is no attempt to keep the outside layers plumb, while working, and this is clearly a practice piece.
To learn more about Molas and molitas, I recommend two files on my website:
A Review of a Greenfield, Massachusetts Show that features a photo of molitas
If you would like to try your hand at making a mola, a “molita” may be the way to go. Have fun!
This particular molita has at lease six layers of cloth. The design on any mola is created through channel cutting and needleturn appliqué and embroidery.
Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications
