I got curious about Mola when I saw a gorgeous handbag for sale in a shop in Cartagena. A bit too pricey for my taste, I never did forget about it. About a year later, I went back to Colombia -- this time to Bogota -- and spied some Mola. Happy me. (And I bought a Mola bag. Yay).
The complicated embroidery technique called Mola was developed by the Gunadule women of Panama and Colombia. Mola is believed to be about 150 years old and derived from body-painting practices. The women sew scraps of brightly colored cloths together by hand and then cut the strips into intricate designs. The more layers and colors, the more valuable. Note the tiny stitches in the photograph above.
The Molas are worn on blouses by the Gunadules.
And -- here's where it gets interesting for handicraft appreciators. When the women get tired of their blouses, they cut them up and sell the cloth. The Mola cloths are sought after for creating decorative pieces for sale. Mola pieces are incorporated into belts, purses, pillows, bed quilts and wall hangings.
Upscale handbag shops sell leather bags that were designed around the Mola piece.
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| Leather handbag with Mola insets. Birds' heads visible on the shoulder strap and only suggested in the center panel inset |
The Gold Museum in Bogota developed an exhibit to showcase Molas.
Some kind of wildlife is often suggested by the patterns. The designs have evolved so that the Molas makers now incorporate contemporary themes and icons such as celebrities, consumer products and superheroes.
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| Spiderman Mola on a poster advertising the exposition at the Gold Museum in Bogota |