"Gather your dreams, let their spirit guide you..."

Hello, hello dreamers! I've been fascinated with dreamcatchers ever since I was a little kid and I've always been fond of analyzing my dreams. I can vividly remember back when I was in elementary, I made a dreamcatcher out of a broken toy, yarns, beads, and feathers! The finished product though wasn't as appealing as I thought it would be (I'm referring to my aesthetics now) but I was so happy with what I have made back then. 

I bought my first "legit" dreamcatcher at Dapitan Arcade for Php 200. I was in college that time, shopping for home decors for my first ever interior design project. But since then, I've been collecting dreamcatchers! So since I'm collecting, why not make my own right? Here's a tutorial on how to make a modern dreamcatcher.

MATERIALS:

1. Wire (I got mine from Ace Hardware and it was the thickest there, I think)

2. Jute Twine (Mine was from Daiso / Japan Home Center)

3. Scissors

4. Glue gun and Glue sticks

5. Meter Tape

6. Embellishments
7. Pliers (optional but I just used scissors)

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Shape the wire into how big you want your circle (base) to be then cut it.

2. Close or merge the two ends together by wrapping them with each other.

3. Now you have a circular base. Next step is to wrap it with jute twine. Use the glue gun so the jute twine would stick on the wire. You don't have to glue gun all around the wire though. I wrapped mine twice so the base would be thicker.

4. Measure 36 inches of jute twine then cut (you don't have to exactly follow my measurements. You can cut shorter or longer depending on you preference).

5. Now use this piece as your reference and cut 4 more 36 inches twine. Again, you can cut more than five. I actually cut 7 pieces in total but I only used 5 pieces since all 7 can not fit in my circle.


6. Take one string and fold it in half.


7. Place it at the middle top part of your base circle, the folded half facing you.

8. Then, loop the two ends of the string through the folded half facing you. (See photos)

9. When you're done with the first loop, you'll now how 2 strings attached to your base circle. Take one string and loop it on the other end of your circle.

10. Do the same with the other string but tie it about 2 cm away from the first string.



11. Then do the same with the rest of the 4 pieces of string.




When you're done with all the 5 strings, it will look something like this:


12. Next, cut 10 inches of jute string or if you want it longer or shorter, that's fine too.

13. Gather the strings together and then place the 10-inch string under it.



14. And then tie it



15. Next, divide the strings into three. Since I have a total of 10 strings, two sections have 3 strings each and one section has 4 strings.


16. And then braid each section and tie a string at the end. I did not braid mine until the end of the strings but you can if you prefer it like that.



17. Now, cut 6 inches of jute twine, fold in half, and glue gun it at the top of your dreamcatcher like this:



18. Lastly, put embellishments on your dreamcatcher and you're done! :)


Dream Catcher Lore:

Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams both good and bad. The dream catcher when hung over or near your bed swinging freely in the air, catches the dreams as they flow by. The good dreams know how to pass through the dream catcher, slipping through the outer holes and slide down the soft feathers so gently that many times the sleeper does not know that he/she is dreaming. The bad dreams not knowing the way get tangled in the dream catcher and perish with the first light of the new day.

How the Dream Catcher is made:

Using a hoop of willow, and decorating it with findings, bits and pieces of everyday life, (feathers, arrow heads, beads, etc) the dream catcher is believed to have the power to catch all of a person’s dreams, trapping the bad ones, and letting only the good dreams pass through the dream catcher.

(reference)