Sewing Up a Storm During Sandy

I grew up in northern NJ, vacationed with my family at the Jersey shore, took the PATH train under the Hudson to lower Manhatten for two summers and enjoy a day trip or two each year to NYC.  Sandy's devastation is touching so many familiar places and I grieve for the families in its path.  We were quite nervous here in Maryland but it's mostly our coastal areas that suffered, not the suburban neighborhood where I live.  We did sleep on the first floor on Sunday night since there are five large trees in the immediate vicinity of our house and roof.  No power outage and just a minor roof leak that we are having repaired today.  To other bloggers who live in those affected areas, I can only hope that your lives gain some semblance of normality soon and that your sewing and sewing friendships cheer you as much as they can.
What do you do when you are nervous or anxious about an upcoming event and can't do any more than you already have to prepare for it?  Me, I sat in my sewing room and sewed down that storm and my own fears.  Nothing that required a lot of brain power....I was already diverting a lot of thought to those big trees, the state of the roof, our water supply.....  So I stitched and stitched away while watching some old movies.  Now the storm has passed for us and I have a number of new items to tuck away in my closet and drawers.  
Here are the pics.
First up in the quilted pick up sticks quilt pick up sticks quilt post that I finished piecing this summer.  My friend Ann quilted it on her long arm and brought it to me on Friday.  I love the block quilting she did on it.  And isn't that wonderful NYC fabric even more poignant this week?  So my first project was sewing on a narrow binding.  I haven't done the hand stitching yet (I was thinking I would do it by daylight if the power went out like it had in June) but it is ready for several long TV evenings.  

Then there's always my faithful new favorite pattern, the Pamela's patterns Magic Pencil Skirt that I enjoy making over....and over....and over.....  

Purchased boiled wool jacket but yes, that skirt again

Same pattern as the brown but different color wave

Stretch woven with navy pinstipes, rather nautical

Another Fabric Mart poly lycra charmeuse

....and yet one more.

I will confess to my fellow fabric collectors that part of my drive to sew up some garments was a recent visit to the Fabric Mart half off the retail store sale.  Cathy and I took a day trip after seing Sandra Betzina's trunk show in early October.  Cathy's new fabric mantra is that for each piece that comes in, three have to leave....either by way of garments or donations.  I'm not quite ready for that ratio but it did inspire me to get cutting and turn some fabric into garments.  More to follow, including a new TNT knit top for fall and winter.