Dream Catcher
30 Aug 2010 2 Comments
in Crafting
On Cool2Craft Live today, I demonstrated how to make this dreamcatcher. If you missed it, here’s the Youtube video of my demo!:
The materials you’ll need to make a dreamcatcher are:
a ring – I’m using a metal ring that’s about 5 inches in diameter here but traditionally something more natural such as a ring made of grapevines or willow branches was used
some suede or suede like lacing – you’ll need about 8 feet of it to wrap the metal ring (you may not want to wrap a ring made of natural materials) and then will likely want another couple feet to use to make a hanger and tie on embellishments
some thick strong thread – traditionally, sinew is used but I’m avoiding the use of animal products here so I’ve used a thick string that’s almost like kitchen twine. Some people like to use dental floss or a waxed linen string.
some beads and feathers or other embellishments you might like to use – conchos are nice and I’ve seen some with bells added to them too.
To get started: glue one end of suede or suede like lacing to the ring you are using if using a metal ring and/or if desired. Wrap the lacing around the ring until you have covered the whole thing. Glue the end of the lacing to the ring. It can be helpful to secure it with a clothespin or other clip while it dries. I use Aleene’s Quick Dry tacky glue for this.
Tie one end of the thick thread (traditionally sinew is used – you can buy imitation sinew in some places which is a waxed nylon string or use any thick string that’s strong enough to hold up to the tying process) to the ring. Make evenly spaced hitch knots (as detailed below) around the ring – about 8-9 knots in total – spacing them roughly 1 to 1 ½ inches apart. Don’t leave quite as much space between the last knot and the first one – it should be a little more like ½ inch – or you will have a big gap in your web.
To make the hitch knot, you place the string loosely over the top of the ring and then bring the end up through the hole that you’ve made as per the diagram below. Repeat this evenly around the ring, about 8-9 times as indicated above. You want to pull each knot taut but if using a willow or grapevine ring, be careful not to pull too tight or you will cause warping and it won’t lie flat anymore.
You continue with the hitch knot for each additional round that you make around the ring. With rounds 2 and beyond, instead of making the hitch knot around the ring, you will be making it around the center of each stitch from the previous round. The number of rounds you make is entirely up to you – some people prefer the look of a larger hole in the center and others like to nearly fill the ring space with the web.
On the 3rd or 4th round, it’s traditional to place a bead onto one of the knots to represent the “spider” in the web.
When you get near the end, make a stitch twice in the same spot and tie the string off. It’s usually best to finish near the bottom of your dreamcatcher. Some people leave a length of about 6 inches of string and tie some beads and feathers there to dangle down right from the web.
Use additional lacing (or string if you prefer) to create a hanger at the top of your dreamcatcher. You may want to adorn this with beads and/or feathers. You can tie on other pieces of lacing at the sides and/or the bottom of your dreamcatcher to add more bead/feather embellishments. You definitely want some feathers hanging down from the dreamcatcher because according to the dreamcatcher legend, they are what draw the bad dreams up out of you and into the web to be trapped and burnt up by the morning sun.
I have a Get Acquainted kit that will soon be available on the Cool2Craft Marketplace. If you’re interested in this before it is up on the site, feel free to contact me in the comments section here and I’ll let you know all the details.
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