According to Native American lore, dreamcatchers are like spider webs for dreams: good dreams pass through to the sleeping person, while nightmares are trapped. Now you can make your own to decorate your bedroom, and keep those bad dreams away!
Plastic or wooden hoop (we used a plastic child's bracelet)
Yarn or string
Beads (plastic pony beads work best)
Feathers
Scissors
Glue (optional)
The first thing you're going to do is weave the "web" through your hoop. Tie your yarn or string around the hoop and secure with a knot. Trim off the excess yarn.
Pull the string across the hoop to the opposite side. You can knot the yarn on the other side of the hoop, or just wrap it around.
Pull the yarn across the hoop again, but angling it slightly from your previous piece. You want to create different angles with your yarn to make it look like a web. Once again, you can knot it when it comes across the hoop, or just wrap it around to keep it from slipping. You can also string beads onto the yarn as you weave.
Keep going until the center of your hoop is filled with yarn.
Once you're done, tie the yarn to the hoop and secure with a knot. Let the excess yarn hang off from the hoop.
String more beads onto the piece of yarn that's hanging off your hoop. (This will now be the "tail" at the bottom of your dreamcatcher.)
When you have a few beads, you can tie a knot at the end of the beads. This fills up the bead's hole so that you can...
... push the quill of a feather into the bead's hole. For extra security, you can dab the quill in glue before you push it into the bead.
Trim off any excess yarn.
Take another piece of yarn about 6-8 inches long.
Tie the two ends into a knot, creating a loop. Trim off the excess yarn with your scissors.
Loop the yarn around the top of the dreamcatcher (the side opposite from the "tail"), as shown in the picture.
Pull the looped yarn through; this piece will allow you to hang your dreamcatcher.
Add a few beads to the hanging loop if you wish!
Your dreamcatcher is ready to hang over your bed or on your bedroom wall!
Here's a closeup of some of the dreamcatchers I made!