Baby Nest is now a Hornet's Nest.

Here are some pictures of the finished Baby Nest plus the waterproof liners that I made for it.

But as I was sewing the last seam, Health Canada was on every news media warning about risks of suffocation. They continue to offer other advice such as "never leave baby unattended... many ads depict babies sleeping unsafely i.e. on their tummies...the best way for a baby to sleep is on their back, alone in a crib (that meets Canadian regulations)".

I heartily agree with all of that. But I wonder if, used correctly, a nest poses any bigger suffocation risk than things like blankets, sofas, comforters on beds or pillows placed around a baby. What poses the biggest risk of all is leaving a baby unattended. And that can be said for just about anything to do with babies.

Whether it is a commercially available nest, or one like mine made following a DIY tutorial or two, every single one I saw always specified SUITABLE FOR 0-4 months. That is because 4 months is often when a baby learns to roll over from its back to its front. And that is why you wouldn't use it once that stage of development was reached.

So, is the nest destined to become a cat bed after all? Perhaps. But that decision is up to our daughter, who would NOT leave her baby unattended. She would also never put a blanket on a baby, put it on its tummy to sleep, put bumper pads in the crib or co-sleep, while many choose to do so.

I am sure she will make the right choice - for her and her baby. And maybe for her cat.

Camp Killdevil Killed it Again.

Whoever said "You can't go back. It will never be as good the second time." has obviously never been to rug camp in Newfoundland.

From the moment I landed until take off 5 days later, I was once again charmed and delighted with the province and the people who live there. One of the camp directors, Sue, met me at the Airport and drove me to camp. Since my flight was late, we made the trek in the dark - a dangerous activity because of moose on the road at night, especially in Gros Morne. Luckily, the hundred or so frogs (plus one bunny) we slalomed around took the place of moose and we arrived unscathed.

Here I was, back again, and in the morning, the site of the cabins and the smell of the air were already familiar. And since we had a free morning, Sue generously offered to take me to Woody Point, where I bought a wonderful piece of art. The lupins of my youth interpreted in driftwood, beach stones and sea glass. 

This year, I was back as a teacher, with my 'Photo to Mat' class, filled with very personal memory photos. We had lots of dogs, two cats, one grand child, a boy in a pumpkin patch, a black and white wedding photo from 1939, a father-in-law, and a few harbour scenes.

Here is the wonderful group that came along for the ride. As you can see, it was a totally serious bunch.

It's ironic to do an internet-based class in a place that has no internet, but since all the prep work was done in advance, I didn't see it as much of a hindrance. And with all emails to and fro with the pre-work, I developed a relationship with everyone (and their subjects) even before I got there.

Each student had sent me their image weeks ahead - I had run it through some photo editing sites and sent back a few options. Based on the choice, I prepared a colour plan. For class, I had presentations on how to use the different tools versus a live demo on the internet. With these step-by-step instructions, they can play on their own computers at their leisure.

Each year at camp, there is a "theme". This year it was Elvis. And the students rose to the challenge of representing THE KING. Here's a video that just shows you how the folks from Newfoundland take on a theme challenge for a party. Within three beats of the first song, everyone was on the dance floor and pretty much remained there until the last beat of the last song of the encore.

My Elvis costume for theme night was a hooked Elvis face mask plus Hawaiian shirt and leis to be Elvis in Blue Hawaii. The mask doubled as a teaching tool, since it was hooked from a royalty-free photo. It also was my entry into the theme challenge and won first place. My prize was free membership in the Guild for a year.

At the festivities, lots of folks had their picture taken with it. Here are a couple of my students and one of the directors as "instant Elvis".

After the party, Saturday and Sunday passed in a blur of activity. Lots of hooking and one-on-one time to make sure everyone in the class was at a point where they could finish without me. I didn't take any pictures of work in progress, but one of the class members offered to be the official photographer. She is lingering behind in Nfld. with her hubby, so I will do another post when she is back in Ontario and sends them to me.

We had a little time to visit the other classrooms and see what everyone was working on. There were a few vendors selling wool cloth, wool yarn and other goodies. And Saturday night, there was a bonfire with lots of singing and an accordion player. I fell asleep to "Kumbaya". It doesn't get much camp-ier than that!

Sunday morning class went by in a flash, our last lunch was over, and camp was finished for another year. Everyone was sad to go and the rainy weather reflected the slightly melancholy mood. Lots of hugs and "see you next year" rang across the campground.

Luckily, I was in for another afternoon of Newfoundland magic before my evening flight back to TO. I was hosted by Jane, the other camp director, and her husband Jerome, who have a charming cabin in Woody Point where they spend their summers. We wiled away the afternoon sharing stories around their wood stove. I was treated to an incredible salmon dinner, prepared by Jerome and then chauffeured to the airport and hugged goodbye.

So, you definitely CAN go back. And sometimes the second time is even better!! If I'm lucky, there might just be a third. A couple of the Elvises (or is that Elvi?) told me they are taking my class next year. Apparently, there is a move afoot to get me on the teacher list for Photo to Mat 2018. Let's just say, I would be thrilled to return and teach it again.

Here's a link to the RHGNL (Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador) website. Winnie Glavine, the publicity and social media co-ordinator, will be sharing whatever images are sent to her by all the campers, so keep watching for those. In the meantime, grab a cup of coffee or tea and take a peek around the site. You'll enjoy the visit.