Nightmares can not only frighten children, adults also suffer from bad dreams over time. A dream catcher promises a remedy that only lets good dreams through and simply neutralizes the bad ones – so they say.
Dream catchers are originally Native American cult objects consisting of a willow hoop, a net and other personal items and were originally used by the Ojibwe culture as spider web talismans. They are said to improve sleep by allowing the good dreams to slip through the web while the bad ones get tangled up in it and are rendered harmless by the sunlight.
They gained importance during the Pan-Indian movement in the 1960s and were also adopted by other indigenous peoples of North America. Making dream catchers was also a popular pastime among flower children and hippies before dream catchers became popular with the rest of the population and were commercialized in the 1980s.
Practical tip: Today, with the resurgence of the boho style, dream catchers are experiencing a revival as a stylish do-it-yourself accessory.
However, instead of just buying a dream catcher, you can also make one yourself – the instructions below describe step by step how to make a large dream catcher yourself.
Of course, a dream catcher alone is not enough to catch the nightmares, belief in the talisman is just as important. However, children in particular can be relieved of their fear of nightmares by crafting a dream catcher together, which in turn leads to a more peaceful sleep.
Practical tip: Having your own dream catcher with a name “increases” the protective effect – the child identifies with its own dream catcher and particularly trusts its magical power to keep bad dreams away from the children’s room!
Make your own dream catcher: instructions
If you want to make a dream catcher yourself, you need a ring made of wood (20 cm in diameter), cords (strong yarn, cords or ribbons), a ball of wool, feathers and wooden beads.
- Fasten the wool to the ring with a knot and wrap the ring completely with the wool.
- Tie the yarn to the ring and wrap it around the ring again 10 cm away. After the tire has been circled once in this way, continue to work towards the inside. The yarn no longer wraps around the ring, but around the yarn previously attached to it.
- Now the dream catcher is decorated with feathers and beads. Simply attach them to the ring with the yarn.
Dream catcher crafts from natural materials
Authentic dream catchers are made from 100% natural materials. Therefore, if you are making a dream catcher, you should collect the materials from which this is possible, including in nature:
- Circle : The circle symbolizes the cycle of life and can be made with willow branches, for example.
- Web : Bad dreams get caught in the spider’s web. You can use plain yarn for this.
- Feathers : The feathers symbolize a kind of ladder on which the dreams are supposed to glide gently down to the sleeping person.
- Beads : The beads made of wood or glass symbolize either the spider sitting in the web or the good dreams accidentally caught in the web.
Make a macrame dream catcher
The macrame dream catcher has been one of the most popular do-it-yourself dream catchers since the 1970s at the latest. The classic Arabic art of knotting (miqrama Arabic for “knotted veil”), which found its way to Europe via Moorish Spain, harmonises ideally with the shamanic ideas behind the talisman. All you need to make an individual macrame dream catcher is some wool, a wooden ring and a few hours of quiet leisure.
Strong wool or yarn with a thickness of 3 mm and 5 mm is particularly suitable for making dream catchers with macrame. The less the thread fluffs, the easier it is to tinker with it and the pattern in the dream catcher then appears clear and sharp!
A diameter of 20 cm has proven itself for the ring – but of course you can experiment with the size of the dream catcher according to your own taste. But the bigger the ring, the more work making the dream catcher!
Knot instructions for macrame dream catchers
To knot a macrame dream catcher, first wrap the ring tightly with wool, only then do you tie the pattern in the inner circle of the talisman. The beard-like woolen knots that hang down from the lower third of the ring are also typical of macrame dream catchers and are particularly attractive thanks to their knot pattern. Standardized knots are used in macrame: anchor stitch, square knot, wave knot, rib knot, (multiple) overhang knots or finishing knots.
