The history of dream catchers is closely related to Indian culture. The Ojibwe, Lakota and Pottawatomie tribes believed that catchers had the power to protect against bad dreams and energy. A macrame dream catcher hung above the sleeper's head was supposed to act like a magical net that lures the nightmares floating in the air and traps them in its tangles, ensuring a good, restful sleep. According to legend, trapped nightmares are released and deprived of their power only by the morning sun. Good dreams, however, pass through the macrame eyes and flow down the strings directly to the sleeper's head.
Today, a macrame dream catcher is primarily a stylish decoration that brings a good aura to the bedroom, living room or office. This fashionable accessory adds coziness and character to the interior. It fits perfectly into the boho and skandiboho style, and will also work well in eclectic interiors. The catcher can be purchased or made yourself. How to make a dream catcher from string? The answer to this question is in this article.
How to make a dream catcher? What materials do you need?
Before starting work, gather the necessary materials. Will be needed:
- rim (preferably metal or wooden due to high durability),
- string (for beginner craftsmen, cotton string without a core, 5 mm or 3 mm thick, is especially recommended),
- any accessories such as beads, feathers, fluffy balls, shells,
- scissors,
- hot glue,
- adhesive tape,
- comb for possible combing of elements.
It is worth choosing the color of the string according to your own taste and with the room in which the dream catcher is to be hung in mind. This way, you will create an addition that will perfectly emphasize the character of the craftsman and the character of the interior.
Macrame dream catcher – a pattern that is worth choosing at the beginning
Before you start working, it is worth choosing a specific dream catcher pattern. Improvising at the beginning of your craft adventure is not the best idea. Therefore, planning is an important stage of work on macrame on a wheel. The answer to the following questions will certainly help you choose a design:
- In what style and colors should the dream catcher be made?
- How big should the dream catcher be?
- At what stage of the adventure with handicraft is the person starting the work?
It seems that an advanced design with complex weaves is a simple recipe for a phenomenal dream catcher. However, it is worth starting weaving with simple patterns on which you can practice weaving. Becoming proficient and able to create more complex patterns requires time and practice.
You can start making dream catchers by gluing properly cut, ready-made round napkins, sized to the rim, using hot glue. This is definitely the easiest way to achieve a satisfactory result. However, in this article we will focus on making all the elements of the dream catcher ourselves. We strongly encourage you to do so.
Macrame dream catcher step by step
How to make a dream catcher from string step by step? The first stage is to create a pattern in the hoop, which is the basis of the dream catcher. The choice of the type of material the rim is made of is important. If the hoop is made of wood, there is no need to cover it entirely with string, as the wood visually harmonizes perfectly with the color of the natural string. It is worth knowing that in advanced designs, the dream catcher may have more than one rim. They may be filled with typical macrame weaves and knots, such as fastening loops, flat knots, post knots or rib knots.
However, in this article we will present a way to create a simple and at the same time effective pattern that can be easily made even by a beginner. The string should be wrapped tightly around the hoop. It is worth securing the end with hot glue or possibly with adhesive tape. Then divide the hoop into equal spaces and make loops of string in the designated places. This will create lines inside the rim dividing the circle into equal parts. In the next row, the loops should be tied in half of each string. This way, you should fill the entire hoop, obtaining a spiderweb-like pattern.
Macrame on a hoop step by step - the stage of creating fringes
The next, equally important stage of creating a macrame dream catcher is making elements that hang freely from the hoop, which, according to Indian beliefs, are supposed to bring good dreams to the sleeper. We recommend two simple solutions for the proposed rim design. You can tie the strings to the hoop using tie loops and leave them hanging freely. You can add any accessories, such as wooden beads or feathers, which often decorate dream catchers.
How to make a different version of the dream catcher?
All you need to do is connect the strings from each pair of fastening loops tied through the hoop using simple knots so that they form posts. This way, a more advanced design will be created. Although the stage of filling the hoop with string requires planning and reflection, when selecting hanging elements, we encourage greater freedom and improvisation. Some elements can be left loose, others can be treated with a comb to obtain a fluffy effect, others can be incorporated with your favorite additions. The final shape of the dream catcher can be given using scissors. The most popular is to cut loose elements evenly horizontally or give them the shape of an inverted triangle.