If you keep being plagued by that dream where you turn up to school naked and everything becomes slow-motion when you try to run away - or even if you don't - this could be the craft for you. Kidzworld guides you through the process of making your own dreamcatcher.
Dreamcatchers - A Little History
The dreamcatcher has become a well-known craft associated with American Indians and the First Nations people of Canada. It's thought that the dreamcatcher originates with the Ojibway people who settled in the Lake Huron area and surrounding parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and western Ontario. Legend has it that the center of the web allows only good dreams to enter a person's mind. Bad dreams become caught in the web and disappear when the sun comes up.
Dreamcatchers - Materials
- Strong thread (sinew is traditional but it might be hard to get a hold of).
- Metal ring of any size.
- Suede lacing.
- Medium size beads.
- Feathers.
Dreamcatchers - How to Make It
1. Knot one end of the suede lacing on the metal ring. Make sure to leave four or five inches of lacing to hang the dreamcatcher before winding the suede tightly around the ring until it is entirely covered in suede.
2. Tie off the suede and knot the two remaining ends together to form a loop to hang the dreamcatcher on.
3. Cut off several feet of thread or sinew. Tie one end to the top of the ring.
4. Now things get a little tricky. The webbing is made up of a net of "half-hitch" knots. To make the first knot, loop the thread over the hoop towards the back then bring sinew to the front again by pulling it up through the hole you've made between it and the hoop. Make sure to keep the thread pulled taut.
5. Going around the hoop, keep making these knots at seven or eight evenly spaced points.
6. When you get back to the top of the hoop, start the next round of webbing by making knots on the loops of thread from the first round.
7. Thread a bead into the webbing whenever you'd like.
8. You should have a small hole left when you finish the webbing. Tie a double knot and cut the rest of the thread off.
9. To make the feather tassels that hang off the dreamcatcher, cut a few lengths of suede to whatever length you'd like and tie them to the bottom of the dreamcatcher.
10. Push a few beads onto each piece of suede and tie knots in the suede to make sure they don't move. Push the ends of the feathers through the beads and voila - you've got a dreamcatcher!
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