Molas--New and Old

Molas have been a fiber art that I've appreciated for many years. My father was in the Foreign Service and was stationed in Panama for about 6 years in the 60's and 70's. While there, he would travel by boat to the San Blas Islands and visit with the Indian women who created this wonderful type of needlework. The thing about my father was that he was someone who absolutely loved to go through the process of bargaining about a potential purchase--which is exactly what the craftspeople expected. He would stop thinking about time and schedule and just enjoy the conversation. During the course of their time in Panama, my parents built quite an extensive collection of these molas--and they have come to me in recent years. It is a gift that I treasure above most others.

My sister has always had the traveling bug and Panama is one of the places that she has revisted in the last couple of years. Since she knew of my passion for molas, she sent me several. One of which I decided to use as a new cover for a stool in my studio. You can see here the before and after. This is typical of the newer molas that are now being produced. They are generally appliqued in the manner of our needleturn method and have a more sophisticated appearance than earlier molas.

These are some examples of older molas--at least 30 years old--maybe more. There is a lot of reverse applique on these and the themes are quite diferent from the more recent work. One of the things that I have really enjoyed with some of the older pieces is they way in which the Indians looked at life around them and interpreted it in fabric. It can be seen in this example that seems to be a beer label. The maker was spelling out the word "cervesa" but obviously ran out of room before she got to the "a." I have others that relate to political campaigns and helicopters flying overhead. And they would have seen many helicopters most likely because the United States still was in charge of the Canal Zone at that time.

So I suppose that these molas were a true example of folk art at its finest and I'm glad that they are still being made today even though the style and emphasis may have changed through the years. And there are also some modern American quilters who are including this same type of applique in their work. I'm glad because I think it is joyful and celebratory-- both of the past and the present.

Blooms In the Studio

I have been working concurrently on two quilts (the first of which was in my last posting). This wall hanging (no name yet) is one that I started quite a few months ago. Once I had finished the floral section, I didn't know how I wanted to finish it--so I put it aside until inspiration struck. As it turned out, that took quite a while. A couple of weeks ago, I drew out an idea that I thought might work and I finally added the borders the night before my art group met (nothing like a fixed date to serve as an incentive). They affirmed my thought that I needed something more in the corners, so I worked on that the next day and, voila, it is done.
The background fabric is a wonderful commerical cotton that has progressive color hues. When I was in Florida a couple of years ago, I saw it in a quilt shop. There were several different pieces and my husband--who is a quilter's dream husband--said I should buy ALL of them. So, of course, I did. And I think it made him feel really good when I actually used one of them.
So now I have two quilt tops awaiting the final part of their journey. Hopefully, they'll tell me what they want me to do with them VERY soon.
I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year that is filled with many, many blessings. I have just finished reading Wayne Dyer's newest book, Excuses Be Gone, and I intend to incorporate a lot of what he says we can do to change unwanted or negative behaviors in our lives. This new year is going to be a blessed one for me because I'm going to do my part to make it happen.

A Different Form Of Art

I haven't posted anything in a while because I've been working on a larger project--remodeling the kitchen in the house we bought in Hendersonville, NC--our new home. My husband spent almost two weeks getting up old layers of flooring (can you believe the former owner laid ceramic tile over four other layers of flooring--you almost tripped when you walked into the kitchen!). Anyway, he did that and also helped me with the cabinets. We really couldn't afford to put in new cabinets right now but I really hated the old ones, so I came up with the idea of adding trim & knobs and a great shade of paint. You can see what all of the original cabinets looked in the picture on the left. And the new, improved appearance on the left. We are a long way from being finished but, already, I feel as if I'm cooking in a new kitchen.

In the meantime, I've finished the top of my quilt that I've been working on for quite a while.

A good part of the time recently it's been up on the wall with me thinking about how to finish off the area where the corner stems met. I tried something else first and, after sewing them all down with the blanket stitch, decided that it didn't work. After a few more days I came up with the 3-leaf idea and am pretty pleased with it. And NOW it's back up on the wall so I can think about how I want to quilt it. Hopefully, inspiration will soon follow.

A book that I have recently read, The Talent Code, has been very helpful in terms of thinking about how we learn and how we can learn to create better. Read it if you want to think about learning in a different way. I was talking about it with my art group this week and they asked me what I had learned most from reading this book and I said that the main thing I had learned was the reinforcement of what I have been gradually learning over the past couple of years. And that is--to take your time in the creative process. Don't just rush your way through a project so you can get on to the next one. If you take time for reflection and letting your spirit guide your way, you will be amazed at what will follow.

And, finally, many of you know that the mountains of North Carolina had a pretty major snow event yesterday. We got about 12 inches of snow and, thankfully, kept our power throughout (so far). I LOVE the snow. I love the quiet that surrounds you as you step out the door. I love the opportunity to slow down when you really can't go anywhere. I love the great excuse to curl up with a good book. And, amazingly, I love to shovel the driveway so we can get out if we really need to. This afternoon, I took a walk and photographed this old spring that is near our house. I love it, too.