Native American legend tells of a night sky filled with
all sorts of dreams. To snare the nightmares, the Ojibwe hang a dream catcher
over the bed, which allows only the sweet reveries to flow down to the person
slumbering below. We hope your kids will be as inspired by this comforting
traditional craft as we are!
What You'll Need:
Embroidery hoop, paint, key ring, armature
wire, yarn or embroidery thread, scissors, glue, felt balls,
faux-leather, wooden beads, cardstock, feathers.
What To Do:
1. Remove the outer ring of an embroidery hoop; set
aside. Paint the interior ring; let dry.
2. Create a center piece: For
a circle, use a smaller hoop or key ring. For a different shape, use 11
1/2-gauge armature wire (we got ours at dickblick.com)
and tape the ends together; first trace the design onto paper, to create a
guide. Wrap the shape in yarn or embroidery thread, then tie it into position
with three or four pieces of yarn (you’ll remove them later).
3. Start wrapping! Tie one long
piece of yarn to the outer hoop, weave it through the inner one, then bring it
back around the outside. Continue until you’ve filled the whole frame, spacing
the loops evenly. Snip off the placeholder strings and dab glue onto the outer
loops.
4. Assemble the tails: Thread
items such as felt balls, faux-leather shapes (punch a hole first), and wooden
beads onto the string. To attach cardstock shapes to the string: Make two, then
sandwich the string between them with some glue. To attach feathers (we shaped
some with pinking shears and painted others with liquid gold leaf): Wrap your
string a few times around the shaft, coat with glue; let dry. Tie the tails to
your dream catcher.
Tip: To add pom-poms or beads, thread
them on with a yarn needle as you’re weaving!
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