And Still More Molas for Sale

I am always a sucker for turquoise. This one has more background than usual. $27.(SOLD JULY 2) The happy Santas. The Kuna have their own religion so this must have been copied from a storybook. $27

A really fine traditional mola. $27. (SOLD JULY 2)

Happy cats. Note the excellent rick rack type border and small colored appliques. $29 (SOLD JULY 2)

Frogs are a common theme but don't come anywhere near the popularity of parrots as a design. $27. (SOLD JUNE 30)

And a Few More Molas for Sale

I am not sure which way is up with this one but I love the use of color.

And the workmanship is excellent. Note the embroidered rick rack type ovals with two layers of applique on top! $34.

A beautiful ivy design I would guess.

The leaves have wonderful detail with curved applique and tiny embroidered stitches. $37. (SOLD JULY 1)

This mola was obviously made by a master. The way the color changes around the design is quite special.

And the work is incredible. Tiny appliqued holes and the usual rick rack type applique. $54


I am assuming this is a squash design. The Kunas have farms on the mainland where they grow vegetables.

The insides of the squash are beautifully detailed with appliqued holes and tiny embroidery stitches. $37.

A parrot and an iguana. Frequent themes.

Lots of extra embroidery to add texture and nice use of color on the flowers. $24 (SOLD JUNE 30)


While the most common meal I was served included fish, I saw several chickens wandering around on the islands which I visited.

Interesting embroidery detail on the feathers. $27 (SOLD JULY 2)

Still More Molas

A beautiful fish mola.

Beautiful applique and embroidered detail. $24

I thought this Minnie Mouse was just adorable

ABsolutely beautifully made. $29

Parrots are always a popular theme and the Kunas often keep small ones as pets.

Beautifully appliqued. $24 (SOLD JUNE 30)

More Molas from Panama

Most of the molas I purchase in Panama are on blouses (Mola is actually the Kuna word for blouse) and I have been spending the last few days taking them apart. There are two molas on a blouse. This beautiful mola is a peacock.

Notice the very tiny little embroidery stitches, the rick rack type edge and the small colored appliques surrounding the bird. All signs of excellent work. $37

This mola is more of a traditional style although i am not sure of its meaning.

Note the rick rack type trim again and those orange strips are applique if you can imagine making them that small. If you click on the image you may be able to see the tiny applique stitches. $37 (SOLD JULY 1)

This exquisite mola reminds me of Southwestern Folk Art. In addition to the usual fabulous applique it is filled with exquisite tiny embroidery stitches. Most of the ones on the dog are round which is unusual.

You can see some of the tiny chain and circle embroidery stitches. $54. (SOLD JULY 2)

This is one of the most exquisite molas I have ever purchased. It was obviously made by a master mola maker. The butterflies begin as one piece and then are cut out and turned under. The tiny holes are punched in the fabric and then all the edges are turned under and stitched with all but invisible stitches.

The big black dots are made in the same way but here they are TWO layers. Incredible.

The green dots are single punch holes which are all painsakingly turned under and stitched. $54.

A Few of the Molas Which I Purchased in Panama

I just returned from a trip to Panama tonight and here are a few of the molas which I purchased. (June 30...the mola on the top left with the crowns is sold.)

(June 30...the mola on the bottom right with the two people is sold)

Mexican Folk Art

Ok...I admit. I'm on an art kick. It must have been that art class I took the last two weeks. These are folk paintings which I was lucky enough to find in Mexico a few years ago. I found the first one in a market in Cuernavaca around 15 years ago and just had to have it. I searched everywhere for more and finally found two being sold by a street vendor in Oaxaca, Mexico...one of my favorite places.

This is my favorite. A wedding scene. They are all signed by the artist.

Fashion Show in Batavia and Bog Coat Class

Fashion Show:

I had the pleasure of presenting a Fashion Show at the monthly meeting of the Batavia Quilt Group today. Kathi Everett, my hostess, took over 100 photos which she has posted on her wonderful blog.

www.pearlstreetroad.blogspot.com

There is a link there to the photos in an album

Bog Coat Class:

I had several requests for the date I would be scheduling a new jacket class. My next class is the Bog Coat, a one day class at the Bobbin Case on Monroe Ave. in Rochester on October 10th.

585-244-7780

Chinese Farmer Paintings

I began purchasing Chinese Farmers Paintings in 1993 on my first trip to China. I fell in love with two large paintings during a stop in Xian and just had to have them. I subsequently purchased many more on other trips, some of which i kept and framed and others I sold on Ebay. This is the only one I didn't purchase in China. It shows an old woman making tiger toys for babies. I have a nice collection of tiger toys and so , of course, had to have that one too.

This is one of the first ones from Xian. They are photographed on an angle to avoid the camera flash.

This is the other Xian painting. It would make a great quilt.

A wedding procession.

Chinese farmers' paintings have their origins in the 1950s, when the communist party encouraged rural communities as well as the army to engage in art.

"People need art, and art needs more people."

It was this new understanding of art being exerted by common people, instead of bourgeois, academic professionals, that stood at the cradle of Chinese farmers' paintings. Some communes picked it up, in the beginning for recreational purposes, or as a well-meant means of propaganda, or to express their dreams of a better life. The farmers' vision of the Communist paradise was for them straight-forward and simple. Happiness were good crops, a stable full of healthy cattle, a nice home, healthy children, good and sufficient meals, electricity, and every now and then a bit of fun at local festivities.
The farmers' paintings movements continued through the Cultural Revolution and the new era of reforms. And with the political and economic reforms at the beginning of the 1980s, the movement took a new upswing with international exhibitions and with Western tourists coming to China in large numbers.
The best known rural art community is today in the county of Huxian in Shaanxi province. Other well-known centers are in Jinshan County near Shanghai and in the county of Lunan Yi in the Autonomous Yunnan Province. Today, there are more than 40 government recognized farmers painters communities, organized in different artists associations on county, provincial and national level. The Chinese state has promoted these activities and supports them with funds and by providing art training.
The typical Chinese farmers' painting is hand-painted with gouache watercolors on paper. The subjects are taken from the experience of the daily life in rural communities. They show trivial activities like coming home from a market or eating dinner, or they display events like a marriage or a spring festival procession. For Westerners not all the scenes that are depicted are immediately understandable without either having a deep knowledge of habits and social life in China, or getting a good description from someone.

The colors of Chinese farmers' paintings are rather brilliant and vibrant. The whole compositions look like typical naive art. Most of today's core artists underwent some professional art training

The Last Art Class & a Day at Marcia's Studio

Our third assignment for the last class was a portrait which the instructor thought was "difficult" because of the eyeglasses. I thought they were easy and had loads of trouble with the nose which I never thought I got right. Then at the end of the last class our wonderful instructor let us pick one of his drawings as a gift. I liked this portait of a ferret. Thankfully I picked an easy one as our class exercise was to take about 20 minutes and begin drawing it.

Today was a relaxing day at Marcia's wonderful studio with sewing friends. I completed a top using hand woven blue ikat fabric from Northern Thailand and two molas from Panama. I head for the islands for more molas next week so this uses up a couple from my stash.

Linda Bachman made a start on a wonderful looking piece made from hand dyed shibori.

E.A.T. Group Meeting, Wolcott

We have sort of begun a tradition of having the June meeting at my house. As usual one member presents a project. At the June meeting since it is at my house it's my turn. My choice was an easy one which had been requested by the group...make and demo a pattern of a silk scarf they all liked which I had worn to a meeting. It was a good project as it didn't require a sewing machine...just lots of silk or soft synthetics. It wasn't long before there was a mound of it in the middle of the table. It had rained earlier but cleared up enough for us to be able to eat lunch on the outside patio. Sally brought some adorable dolls for show and tell. She was inspired by an article in Quilting Arts Magazine.

By midafternoon most people were half to two thirds of the way complete and began modeling their work.