Meet the Kuna Applique Ladies of San Blas Islands

When I say "meet the ladies", this is an understatement.  When virtually all ladies (and young ladies) of stitching age work on the applique, I realize I am doing them injustice by showing you only three. And I am showing you only a very small portion of the hundreds (and more) pieces of  applique on display.

This lady was the first in line as we left the shuttle boat.

A very impressive lady.

This is one extremely talented applique artist. She worked her Molas in many layers.

The more colors in a Mola, the greater the value.

In addition to Molas, she had made numerous lined purses and appliqued wall hangings showing the variety of local birds using traditional applique techniques and adding a lot of embroidery highlights.

In order to display the items more effectively, they were basted together.

One was not expected to purchase all the basted items.

When you picked the one you like, she simply clipped the basting.

This is another lady with a lot of applique talent and a vibrant personality.

She was a lot of fun. You could tell she really enjoyed her applique and was delighted to meet anyone else who shared her passion. Note her wearing apparel. The Kuna ladies not only make applique to sell, but it is also an important part of their daily clothing style.

Note: When visiting the San Blas Islands, take a lot of USD 1's (to take photos), 5's, and 10's.

Next:  Close-ups of a few selected applique pieces.