A dream catcher is a Native American art form used as a symbol of protection. The sight of this dream catcher will catch the little nightmares and leave only good dreams to enter your sleep! You can make your own, too, with some elementary supplies around your house or some cheap beads at the craft store. Just follow these quick instructions on making your own:
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What do you need to make a Dream Catcher
- 6 yards of flat leather cord or ribbon
- Different types, shapes, and colors of beads
- 7″ metal hoop or Embroidery hoop ( or any size you like)
- 6 yards long and 1-yard thick yarn or cotton crochet thread
- Different types of feathers
- Tailor’s chalk or erasable pen
- Sewing Thread
- Hot Glue Gun
Tips for Choosing the Right Materials for Your Dreamcatcher
- Choose a wooden or metal hoop. Already-made hoops are easy to work with and are the best choice for making dream catchers.
- Choose a hoop size according to how big or small you want your dream catcher to be. If you’re making a dream catcher for the first time, you can start with 5-8 inch hoops. They are not too big or too small for learners. These hoops are available at local craft stores around you.
- Ribbon or suede lace is great for wrapping the hoop. A buckskin or a leather suede lace is best.
- Check the width of the lace. It shouldn’t be wider than the width of a shoelace.
- The lace length should be 18X more than the diameter of the hoop. For instance, using a 13 cm hoop, use 2.3 meters of lace. You can use ribbon if you do not like the suede lace.
- Use a strong but flexible string for the web.
- You can use hemp cord, waxed nylon string, or artificial sinew.
- Your string length should be 10x the diameter of your hoop. That is, 70 inches of the string will be used for a 7-inch hoop.
- Natural-colored strings are great for traditional dreamcatchers, but you can also use any color you desire
Step 1 Wrap the Hoop
Use the 1-ply hemp to attach the tail of the hemp to the hoop with twice knotting. Pick the ball from the middle of the hoop to wrap the hemp around it, and bring it up and to the back.
Cover the whole metal with hemp. After wrapping around the hoop, tie the end of the hemp from where it starts to where you stopped and use twice knotting to conceal it.
Step 2 Thread the Beads
The next step is threading the beads on the ball of hemp. With this, they will be easy to drop into place when required.
Step 3 Weave the Middle Web
After this, you can start weaving the middle web by securing the hemp to the hoop with twice knotting. Wind a small hemp ball from the larger one. Ensure the ball can pass through the gaps while working around the middle. Knot twice to connect the hemp to the hoop.
Bring the beads and hemp closely behind the hoop. Leave a space in the middle. Leave one-inch space and pull the beads and hemp through the open hole from back to front. Continue doing this by leaving space before going to the next round.
As you progress, you will get back to the first space. Place your beads and hemp below the hoop and pull it up via the space.
Place your beads and hemp below the hoop again and raise it via the next gap. You can decide to drop a bead if you like. Continue placing your beads and hemp below the hoop and pull it up via the next space. Do this repeatedly until you get close to the middle.
It’s okay to stop and rewind your ball of hemp as you proceed. But keep up the positive energy.
You can drop your bead wherever you want to create different styles. As you move closer to the middle, you can weave the hemp inside and outside of the spaces by using a needle.
Ensure to continue by working from below and pulling the hemp up via the spaces. As soon as you can close the middle, tie it off and use a needle to pull the hemp via space and knot it twice.
Step 4 Decorate
You can decorate with anything you desire. You can use a ribbon or pre-strung beads. Some people also decorate their macrame wall-hanging boho dreamcatcher with feathers and tassels.
Tie anything you wish to use in decorating your dream catcher around the loop and tighten them all.
Be creative and have fun decorating your dream catcher.
What Do the Beads in a Dream Catcher Mean?
Beads are usually used in decorating the web pattern in dream catchers. These beads have many interpretations of what they signify. But most cultures believe that a single bead stands for a spider that spun the web, while several beads in the web stand for the number of dreams caught during the night. These dreams are then thought to have changed into sacred charms.
Do Dream Catchers Need Beads?
Dream catchers typically have beads and feathers hanging from their hoops. Modern dream catchers come in different forms, and the real ones are mainly handmade from natural materials and only a few inches wide.
How to Add Beads to Dreamcatcher
Adding beads to dream catchers depends on your taste and what you want to achieve. You can decide to use tiny beads or big beads.
Add beads to your dream catcher requires only a few steps:
- Make some stitches
- Insert the string in the head hole and flip the string above the stitch
- Put the string again in the bead and ensure that the stitches are tight
- Repeat number 3 and continue repeating the process
