Nathania Apple, textile geek

Things I do with my theatre kid. We attend a lot of live theatre to feed our souls and to support the community. It’s an act of self care, and it’s damned political too. Arts comment on issues in our culture and give voice to marginalized groups. Supporting the arts, especially now, is resistance!

The Oliso irons are marvelous!

This is absolutely--and I cannot stress this enough--not how it is supposed to work. An Executive without functioning internal checks is a constitutional crisis no matter what courts are doing. Courts are a last resort when the Executive is acting unlawfully, and an extremely limited one at that.

This is a great start, but we need more Democrats to fight like Sen. @schatz.bsky.social! The Trump-Musk power grab is a constitutional crisis and Senate Democrats aren’t powerless: indivisible.org/resource/how...

Trump Aims To Destroy American Civil Society. Here’s Why He Must Be Stopped. Opinion | I think there’s a strong adjunct role for most of us building anti-MAGA strength in the 21 months left till the U.S. midterm elections in 2026.

"The goal has always been clear: destroy functioning government, cripple the nonprofit sector and obliterate the hard-earned bonds and benefits of 80 years of post-war American progress." @guitarwatson.bsky.social
www.democracydocket.com/opinion/trum...

Spent part of my weekend prepping to sew the new GenX Jacket, a new pattern from @messygoat.bsky.social using Cherrywood fabric, a print from my stash & some coordinating prints I found at SR Harris.

Musk tweet boasting of "feeding USAID into the chipper"

“I went over it with him in detail, and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Musk said. “And I actually checked with him a few times [and] said ‘are you sure?’” The answer was yes, he said. “And so we’re shutting it down,” Musk said. USAID staffers were told that the agency’s headquarters in Washington will be closed Monday amid the turmoil. In an email to staff early Monday, the agency’s leadership said: “Agency personnel normally assigned to work at USAID headquarters will work remotely … with the exception of personnel with essential on-site and building maintenance functions individually contacted by senior leadership.”

The executive branch does not have the legal right to cancel appropriated spending or eliminate agencies created by Congress.
Trump and Musk are doing both. Entirely lawless and unconstitutional.
The world's largest provider of food assistance shut down.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

A drawing that looks like overlapping ribbons around a rose that says: Everything we can save is worth saving. -Rebecca Solnit

One of my absolute favorite things is: Great Horned Owls 🦉 In the evenings I walk my dogs, and their hoot hoot hooots just … calm me.

Today one swooped in front of my car, landed on a branch, and looked straight at me.

As Rebecca Solnit says: “Everything we can save is worth saving”

If you want to understand why so many cis people who don't even really know trans people are in a full-blown panic over something that doesn't affect them, that's why. Their real anger is over changing gender roles, especially growing acceptance that women aren't biologically inferior to men.

Anybody who actually knows gender nonconforming kids could tell you that they are some of the most courageous people in the world.

Let’s hope the rest of us can rise to their standard.

It’s important to know that a lot of productive activity is happening in person and offline, too.

Not all of it can be broadcast online, but we’ve had hundreds of people showing up to our trainings, mobilizations, and more.

Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters.

Things I am doing to combat feelings of helplessness as the current administration attempts to dismantle our democracy.

Finished my 3rd book of 2025, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. I literally gasped as I read the final page. Immediately diving into Iron Flame.

Finished The Eye of the World. Second book in 2025 down.

Even in the fallow in between times, I a mulling and musing, planning and considering. I am helping my body to relearn ease. Speaking kindly to myself I say, “I did so much today, and now I deserve to rest.”

I am learning to be kinder to myself. On days like today I tend to minimize my achievements. “I got nothing done today.” Actually, I undecorated the Xmas tree, did four loads of laundry, cooked dinner, read 1/4 of a book, conversed with my kid about the sacredness of creativity.

Does anyone else get anxious as they approach the end of a book? I feel like every time I finish a chapter I have to take a few minutes to decompress.

Check out the super awesome prize I won in @badassquilter.bsky.social birthday giveaway! I’ve been coveting this for months. Now it’s mine, all mine! Thank you, Maddie and @gedesigns.bsky.social !!!

A woman with short, greying dark hair and glasses rests her head on a pale dusky pink pillow and stares into the camera from behind a green dinosaur stuffie. The expression on her face is tired and resigned.

Insomnia.

Pale gold fabric in an embroidery hoop shows stitching in progress. “Begin as you mean to Go On” is the motto. A black poodle looks into the camera. The soft glow of Christmas lights illuminates the background.

Comfort stitching while my sweet Bella pup looks on. Self-care mode activated.

A table full of quilt blocks awaiting assembly. There are numerous Tim Holtz prints designed to look like distressed maps, wallpapers, printing, etc. Gold, green, rust, and dusky blues dominate the color scheme. These are combined with hand dyed fabrics in mostly solid rust and deep blue.

Final assembly of blocks for the Frankie quilt, designed by GE Designs and made up in Tim Holtz & Cherrywood Hand Dyed fabric.

A long-haired brunette woman in a wine-colored v-neck velvet top poses with her arms draped around the neck of David Lynch. His arms are wrapped comfortably around her waist. His signature shock of grey hair is disheveled. Both smile at the camera.

Mourning the loss of my dear friend David Lynch. We had some wonderful conversations and once upon a time I made him a quilt that he used while meditating. I will cherish my memories of him.

The cast and crew of Romeo & Juliet are arranged in an inverted T shape. Romeo & Juliet are surrounded by the Prince and the Montague & Capulet families, and Count Paris. To the left are Benvolio, Mercutio, Balthazar, & the Friar Lawrence. To the right are Tybalt & other members of House Capulet. The costumes are modern, but timeless in rich shades of red, gold, royal blue, & emerald. The crew kneels at ground level, clad all in black.

Cast and crew of Romeo & Juliet, the current theatre production at WHS. My son, Devin, is starring as Romeo. Costume design by me! We open tonight.

I haven’t managed to put up my 2025 calendar yet either.

I am heartsick for the women Gaiman harmed. I am heartsick for all who are grieving the loss of the person they thought he was. I am heartsick for myself as I untangle the very complicated feelings I have about all of this. I am heartsick.

I know how seductive and charming - affable even - they can appear. I am not surprised, but I am no less affected than those who are.

Unlike many of the people I have seen decrying the news of Gaiman's vile nature with exclamations of "I can't believe it!", I can. I have been lucky to have slipped the grasp of men who might have done me such harm.

To know you are in a dream and being unable to escape is a thing horror films are made of.

Worse, I suffer from sleep paralysis, and in the dreams that came just my waking time, I kept trying to claw myself out of sleep. I was dragged back under again and again and again until finally the shrill alarm gave me a lifeline to full, wakened consciousness.

Last night those dreams turned to horrible nightmares. I woke myself several times, but even after reassuring myself that they were merely dreams, his lulling, hypnotic voice returned, echoing evil things, terrible, frightening, threatening things.