About Mola Quilting

MOLA QUILTING

 A friend of mine gave me this little Mola piece of fiber art. I'm not sure where it came from, but she knew I would be intrigued by it. She explained to me that these originated in Panama by the women of Kuna. I researched a little more about this art form.  Historically, the women used to decorate their bodies with geometric figures using whatever was available to them for paint. As fabrics became available, the women started incorporating the same concept on their clothing. "Mola "actually means shirt in Dulegaya, the language of the Kuna people. 

These are very intricate pieces put together using many colors and layers of fabric in a reverse applique method. I have seen reverse applique methods used in quilting. I think if I try this method, I will start with a couple of layers. Something a little simpler. I did find some great video tutorials on Youtube for reverse applique techniques. If you are interested, just do a search--of course some are better than others so I won't link any of them here. 

What am I working on now? 

Currently, I have three quilts I'm working on. I am working on the Tropical Storm I showed you before. I keep procrastinating this one because of the level of difficulty I find in the Storm at Sea Block. But, I keep pushing a long with that one. I'm also working on an improv type quilt using some fabrics from Marcia Derse and Windham fabrics. I am loving Marcia Derse!  Having a project like this on the side of a more intense project helps me relax and just enjoy the process. This is the beginning of that quilt. 

The third one is a quilt pattern I ordered on Etsy called "Seafarer" by Quiltfabrication. This one is made with strip blocks in many shades of blue to create an ocean scene with one sailboat. It makes me think of pictures we took while visiting Seattle many times for our anniversary. I am going to add some sunset colors in the top left, not sure how that will look? 

Happy Quilting folks. I would love to hear about what you are working on! Please message me here or come see me on instagram @lesley_chandlercrafts.