When I'm blue I tend to do more quilt designing than actual quilting. I sit down with some graph paper or fire up my EQ software and start playing. That leads to digging through my stash and laying out fabrics and that almost always cheers me up! It's hard to feel low when I'm digging through all these gorgeous fabrics I've hoarded, especially if I get into the "citrus" colors. I don't think I can possibly feel bad when I'm digging through lime greens and tangerine orange colors, they just FORCE me to be happy. Batiks often do that too.

night time quilting, while everyone was asleep, got me through a few years of depression. I would sew like a woman possessed. no scrap was safe. Nothing planned, just eclectic piecing, seeing where I would go. I kept that quilt for myself. It says so much. I still add to it. It truly is my crazy quilt.

Yes, quilting got me through a period of deep depression several years back. It kept my mind and hands busy. Like you, I still have those quilts and treasure them for getting me through a difficult time.

I feel so relaxed when I'm sewing - it makes me feel good no matter what mood I'm in. A lot of time even cleaning in my sewing room makes me feel better.

Quilting got me through deaths in the family and bullying and early retirement. Once I started on some type of quilting I had to concentrate and forgot my woes for a time. I also found this site where people are so understanding. Had PM help when suicidal more help than friends I quilt with.

That's how I beat depression and threw all those nasty meds in the trash. Quilting! Keeping your mind and hands busy keeps the blues away. The dishes can wait, my creative spirit needs to get out or it gets blue. Instead of rolling around in self pity I prefer to roll round in loose threads and small bits of fabric! I need a small wading pool to throw all my trashable sewing bits in, then when I'm feeling bad I can just jump in the pool and roll around in it!

Boy, I wish there was a "like" button here! Our older daughter and her fiancee left yesterday to head back to their home, so I understand how sad the kids leaving is.

I'm likely to resort to retail therapy - online or in stores. Online, sometimes I check out, sometimes not. I'm just as likely to curl up and take a nap, or to play solitare, word games or dominoes online. I need to change my ways and get going on something!

When I am "down in the dumps", I have to stay there for a bit and wallow. Nothing I do feels good. I used to practice "retail therapy", but the high was short lived. I now quilt when I want to wallow. My mind ruminates over my situation while the machine hums and chugs along. In the good times, I put together donation quilt kits, fabric pre cut, simple patterns - I sew thinking how lucky I am not to be a recipient of my project, and I sew luck, and love and healing wishes. Usually thinking these healing thoughts brings me back up.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels blue. ((((GROUP HUG))))

Sewing makes me happy so when I am down its a good place to go to ...