My First Dream Catcher

3/3/2013

All human beings are also dream beings.
Dreaming ties all mankind together.
Jack Kerouac

For ages now I've been meaning to attempt a Dream Catcher. They're very common in my little hometown corner of Canada as we have a rich Native local tradition and share our corner of the province with the Maliseet people, who are well known for their outstanding handwork skills--particularly beadwork and basket-weaving. Their Dream Catchers vary from very simple and traditional to large and elaborate sporting thread knotwork and beautiful beading.

The basic premise of the Dream Catcher is that traditionally it is hung in a place above the sleeper's head in a spot where the morning light will touch it. Bad and unimportant dreams are 'caught' in the web and in the morning's first light they dissolve away. The good, meaningful dreams are concentrated and slide down the thread to the feather and into the sleeper's head.

A lovely idea, isn't it? Something all of us could use from time to time, I suspect...

I am a terrible magpie and tend to collect random everyday bits and bobs with the intention of eventually using them for various projects--so naturally I have a little collection of small plastic hoops that are perfect for this endeavor! This hoop was clear plastic and is around 1 5/8" (4.2cm) in diameter.

I found a great online tutorial at Native Tech with good diagrams explaining how to make a dream catcher, and I used a few odds and ends from my crafting stash to construct my little creation. A strip of scrap fabric to cover the hoop, a length of silk embroidery thread for the web, a bead to represent the spider, and a little feather to tie at the end. Super simple.