Making a Dreamcatcher Please note that this is just one of many ways to make dreamcatchers. MATERIALS: 5" ring 4 yds Suede lacing 1/8 inch 3 yds Imitation sinew (waxed nylon string) 1 Small Concho 12 Pony Beads 16 Pony Beads Feathers You will also need scissors, glue, a clothes pin. If you cannot obtain the supplies, try making one using a small green branch from a tree about 1cm in diameter and 1 meter long. Just bind the ends of the branch together and then make the web in the same way. 1. Cut 8 ft. of the suede lacing. Glue one end of the lacing to the ring. Wrap the suede lacing around the ring until you reach the starting point again. Be careful not to twist the lacing. Glue the end of the lacing to the ring. Hold it in place with a clothespin until the glue dries (Figure 1). 2. To make the web, tie one end of the imitation sinew to the ring (Figure 2). Make nine half hitch knots around the ring spacing them about 1-1/2" apart (Figure 3). Make the last hitch a little closer to the first knot as this prevents a large gap from forming. Keep the thread pulled snug between the knots. 3. Begin the next row of the web in the middle of the thread that you have already woven on row 1. (Figure 4). Continue weaving in the same way until you have a small hole left in the center. Tie a double knot in the cord, add a tiny drop of glue to the knot and cut off remaining thread when dry. (Figures 5 & 6). 4. To make the loop to hang your Dream Catcher, use a 12" piece of suede lacing. Fold it in half and tie a knot in the open end. At the top of the ring, attach the lacing by slipping the loop end through the ring and then around the ring and over the knot. Pull the lacing tight to secure it in place. 5. To make the hanging sections, cut three 8" pieces of suede Tie two 8" pieces of suede lacing about one third of the way up each side of the ring using a double knot. Slip 3 colored pony beads onto each piece of lacing and secure with a knot. 6. Using the last 8" piece of lacing to attach small concho to top middle of the ring. Slip three pony beads onto each piece of lacing. 7. Finally, push two feathers up inside the beads on each piece of lacing except the one hanging from the concho. Glue the feathers if they are loose. The last 4 feathers are attached 2 each side of the concho. (To make larger sizes: 12 inch rings needs approx. 7 yds of 1/8 suede lacing to bind it 9 inch ring - 6 yds 6 inch ring - 4 yds Remember that you will need extra suede for the laces and hanger. ) THIS IS JUST ONE WAY TO MAKE DREAMCATCHERS. I MAKE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES, AND NO TWO EVER LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME. BE CREATIVE, AND SEE HOW MANY DIFFERENT ONES YOU CAN MAKE. A DREAMCATCHER LEGEND "Long ago when the world was young, an old man sat on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language that only the old man could understand. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider took the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horse hairs, beads and offerings on it and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life....how we begin our lives as infants and we move on to childhood, and then to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle. Iktomi said, "In each time of life there are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature, and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings." Iktomi gave the web to the Lakota elder and said, "See, the web is a perfect circle but there is a hole in the center of the circle. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your good dreams and ideas - - and the bad ones will go through the hole. Use the web to help yourself and your people to reach your goals and make good use of your people's ideas, dreams and visions." The elder passed on his vision to his people and even today, many of us use the dreamcatcher as the web of our life. It is hung above our beds or in the home to sift dreams and visions. The good of our dreams are captured in the web of life and carried with them...but any bad dreams escape through the center hole." Visit my site at: www.geocities.com/andre_collins Jobsonline.com undefined More... [Close] [Close] undefined