Looking for an original gift “with soul”? Choose the dream catcher made with the use of recently very popular macramé technique. The art of making it is not complicated, you just need to get some practice.
It is an amulet of some North American Indian tribes, its American name is dreamcatcher. Dreamcatcher, as it is called, is becoming more and more popular in Poland. What is its phenomenon?
Nowadays, it is a fashionable element of various interiors, decorating bedroom or living room walls, but in the past, this was not its function. What is the meaning of a dream catcher and is there a legend about its creation?
According to stories passed down from generation to generation, it was the indigenous people of North America, the Indians, who made the first dream catchers. Although there are many legends about it, one theme is common – the dream catcher was treated as an amulet, attributed to him a protective role.
It was believed, and nowadays some tribes still believe, that a dreamcatcher hanging over a bed protects the sleeper from nightmares, promotes the appearance of good dreams and allows to remember those with a positive message
What other properties does such a dreamcatcher have? Most people believe that its role is to attract good spirits to the house and at the same time create an insurmountable barrier for the bad ones
Such beliefs are not accidental, they result, among other things, from the construction of the amulet. The oval frame made of quite flexible wood reflects the circle of life and the four sides of the world. It is usually covered with colored materials or wool. In the hoop is placed a web, deceptively similar to the spider’s web, which in many tribal communities is simply a symbol of family ties
From this web (both in the past and in modern dream catchers) usually hangs decorative feathers and sometimes beads. According to old beliefs, nightmares are supposed to flow down them
Colors of particular elements of dream catchers are also important. Each color has a different symbolism. For example, green symbolizes nature, Mother Earth, blue, blue – the sky, red – love, and white – wisdom, but also purity, humility. And nowadays, what are dream catchers used for? They are mainly used as a decorative element.
How to make a dream catcher? Let’s prepare the best willow circle, and its center, the so-called web, is made of sinew or hair or thong. In the past, Indian tribes used to hang bones or claws of wild animals on the catchers to symbolize strength, but they also hung beads to bring good dreams. Today, dream catchers have a more modest form and are more decorative.
A simple way to make your own dream catcher is to cut out its rim, if only from thick cardboard (we cut out a rim with a diameter of about 23 cm, this is the most optimal size of the catcher as a wall decoration), you can also try to find flexible twigs.
Then, when you have the base, i.e. the prepared hoop, wind the yarn in the color you chose before. It will be best to carefully measure the circumference of the circle rim and divide it into several equal parts. With a thread we make loops on the circle, just on each of the separated parts. In the middle of each section intertwine the thread, creating a “spider web” pattern. We can still attach beads or feathers to our hoop.
Main photo: Frankie K./unsplash.com
