Molas are hand crafted and hand stitched textiles which use a reverse appliqué technique. The term “mola,” which originally meant bird plumage, is the Kuna Indian word for clothing, specifically blouse, but it has come to refer to the elaborate embroidered panels of a Kuna woman’s traditional blouse. Traditionally they featured geomentric patterns and the animals in the Kuna environment, such as birds and turtles. Modern ones now include things from the modern world, like helicopters and pop culture. They’re often made as tourist souvenirs.
We bought it when went on a cruise through the Panama Canal. We didn’t stop in San Blas Island, but they are sold in the nearby areas.