Monday, March 16, 2020

The Magic of Molas

This month's Bee Sewcial theme from Stephanie/@spontaneousthreads is "The Magic of Molas," which are handmade textiles of Central American origin.


A part of Stephanie's request was that we zoom in on just a portion of a mola to create our block. To do that, I used a tip I learned in a class with Michelle Wilkie/@ml_wilkie a few years ago. Using a blank index card, I cut out a rectangle in the proportion I wanted my finished block. Then I just moved it around on Stephanie's inspiration post and chose a section that I was drawn to.


Not an exact replica of course, nor should it be, but I think my block has the essence of the original, and definitely required playing with geometry, scale, and color. Eventually, my bold design finished at 13" x 23". So interesting!



Thought you might enjoy this video of The Spririt of the Mola exhibit a few years ago at The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Just fyi....

5 comments:

  1. Great tip to remember and use for this challenge!

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  2. Great interpretation, I'm drawn to the bright, saturated colors.
    Thanks for the video link, so fascinating. Obviously the women who made the clothes and other Mola pieces at the museum were highly skilled with needle and thread, I am awed.

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  3. Such an interesting block! You definitely should explore this idea for a project.

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  4. What a wonderful idea...I am going to look for my index cards right now!

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