A mola is a blouse made and worn by the Kuna women of Kuna Yala, Panama. Some men also make molas for the women. Their land is located on the San Blas Islands on the Caribbean Sea.

The word mola can mean the actual blouse or it can refer to the panel of intricate appliqué. There are two panels on each blouse, one in the front and one in the back. This panel is seamed to a yoke and a ruffle is seamed below it. Large puffed sleeves complete the garment.

There are many ways to make the traditional mola panels. I have put them into three main categories:

Maze Molas

Multi Color Molas

Combination Molas

There are many variations of each of these three categories. Charlotte has discovered over 21 variations in all.

Trade Molas

Kuna items made for the tourist trade.

Through the years, the sleeves and yokes have grown very large and the panels smaller. The older mola panels were quite large and were gathered to a narrow yoke. This evolution may have come about because the appliqué work has gradually grown so much more meticulous and time consuming. The mola makers take great pride in their fine stitching and detailed work.
Some blouses feature a narrow band of appliqué between the mola panel and the yoke and also around the lower sleeves. On other blouses, commercial braid or rick rack is used.
Often very garish fabric is used for the yoke and sleeves. A trend of the 1990's featured the same fabric used in the mola as well as the rest of the blouse as shown on the two lower blouses above.
Traditional colors for top layers of most molas are red, black or orange. The main characteristic of traditional molas is the repetition of many outlines and narrow channels.

Quilts made from Kuna Molas

Pattern to make
your own mola.

Myths about Molas:

"The only good molas are the old molas"
Old molas have historical value but compared to the workmanship today they are quite crude. The details are large and the stitching is not as refined. Historically, they are valuable for comparison.

"They are made with reverse appliqué."
The reverse or "negative applique" certainly has its appeal but most of the traditional molas also feature much "positive appliqué"

"They just aren't making molas as good today. The art is dying."
The reverse is true. The molas today are becoming more intricate and detailed than ever. Because so many badly made molas are sold in tourist shops as well as "trade molas," which are smaller and simpler molas made especially for selling to tourists, people think that well made molas are a thing of the past. Some of the "trade molas" are very appealing too. Some are made just like the molas made to wear but they are smaller and sold as souvenirs. Some are simple appliqué with no negative appliqué. They can be just as collectible as others.

"They are made by stacking many layers together and cutting from the top layer down to the lower layers."
Actually they are made by adding one layer at a time from the bottom layer up. Like anything else, the layers (2, 3 or 4) are built up from the foundation. Many colors result from added appliqué and inlay details or inserts placed under the top layer.