Traditionally, women's blouses had a mola panel on the front and back. Today, however, molas are made as decorative items in their own right, or incorporated into gift items such as bags.
What makes molas so special, is the mix of the striking designs, brilliant hues and meticulous stitching. A fabric-crafter will be fascinated by the mixture of applique techniques (reverse, overlay and inlay) and will recognize the hours of work that have gone into a piece. A graphic designer will be fascinated by the variety of designs: from abstract to geometric, and from mazes to animal and plant forms. A home-decorator will be inspired with the possibilities of the fabulous wall-hangings and cushion covers.
Of course you don't even need to travel to Panama to see or buy a mola: the internet brings them to you. To get an idea of the wonder of molas, have a look at these sites:
Molas International Collectors' Gallery which has molas classified by different kinds of designs, for example flowers
Jungle Expressions Panama Hank's Trading Post, which says it'll find someone to make you a copy of a mola if you see one you particularly like (I wouldn't like to get into a copyright debate about this offer!). To make a mola, you'll need some some brightly coloured cotton fabrics. If you want to be traditional, these should be solid colours, not patterns, 100% tightly woven cotton. Place the fabrics on top of each other to check that the colours don't show through, particularly very dark colours through light ones.
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