Trapunto and Mola link page

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Trapunto Trapunto is a cloth quilting technique which produces a raised surface. The curved and straight line patterns are threaded with a soft yarn or cording. The rounder shapes are stuffed with small amounts of batting inserted from a small slit made in the backing fabric. After the shapes are stuffed, the slit is whipped stitched closed. A second backing fabric is then added and normal quilting is done all around the previously stuffed shapes. Another style of Trapunto uses a loosely woven fabric for the quilt backing. Then, instead of making slits in the backing to stuff shapes, a needle is used to carefully push the backing thread apart to form an opening for the stuffing. The threads are then carefully pushed back into place. This eliminates the need for asecond backing fabric. Trapunto originated in Italy in the early 16th century. It appeared in the United States in the the late 1700's and remained popular until the Civil War. Thanks for the above to the quilting site- Valley Brook Botanicals and Design. Links to subjects this obscure can change fast. If you want to know more, make a Google search.

Mola "Mola" originally meant cloth among the Kuna culture of Panama. Kuna women often take months to complete elaborate fabric panels to be used in the making of blouses, which are also referred to as molas. These beautiful blouses are part of the distinctive costume of Kuna women. The links below are noncommercial sites with lots of information and pictures of molas: http://panart.com/mola_gallery.htm  http://www.thorup.com/mola.html http://patriot.net/%7Ekunamola/molas.html