I am trying very hard to back down on excessive Christmas giving. It seems there is so much giving as a means to consume: buy, buy, buy. Here at Rubistudios, it’s more like make, make, make. In my large family, we pick names from a hat, instead of buying gifts for 5 siblings and their partners and children, we have only a few. This enables me to consider each gift carefully. My niece sent me some drawings of hers. I turned one into an embroidered pillow (above).

My mother never reads my blog, so I feel safe posting pics of her gift. So safe in fact I can say that I am leaving first thing in the morning to fly to CT for Thanksgiving to surprise her. This is silk ribbon on linen for her bag.

I extracted the motif from some of the bag fabric, a vintage marimekko panttern. Mom is into Vera Bradley bags, I am not; so I tried to meet in the middle. I call this bag “Suck it,Vera!”

This is a “W” in silk ribbon on silk. I cut the fabric from a curtain panel,  pearl and charcoal gray dupioni silk  West Elm, over two yards, brand new in the package for $2.99 at Goodwill.