Paper Feather Dreamcatcher
When Pocahontas told Grandmother Willow about her dream of a spinning arrow that suddenly stopped, the wise old woman told her the arrow pointed down the path she was meant to take. Native American people have traditionally put great stock in dreams. In fact, it became a popular practice to hang dreamcatchers that were meant to filter out bad dreams and let only the good ones come through. This colorful beaded catcher is a cinch to weave and features hanging feathers cut from pretty papers.
You'll need:
- Dream Catcher template
- Stiff cardboard
- Scrapbook paper
- Pencil
- Craft knife
- Scissors
- Yarn
- Glue
- A few beads
- Paper hole punch
1. Print and cut out the template. Use the pieces as patterns to cut out a cardboard ring and five paper feathers.
| 2. Cut an 18-inch length of yarn. Glue one end to the back of the ring and then begin wrapping it around the cardboard to cover it. When you come to the end of the strand, glue it to the back of the ring. Continue in this fashion until the entire ring is wrapped. |  |
| 3. For the woven part of the dreamcatcher, cut a long length of yarn in a contrasting color. Tie one end around the wrapped ring and then wrap it around the ring every 3 inches or so, as shown. |  |
| 4. When you get back to the starting point, weave a second round, this time wrapping the yarn around the loops you created in the first round. |  |
| 5. Continue weaving in this manner, threading a bead onto the yarn every now and then, until you have just a small hole in the center. At that point, knot the end of the strand around a nearby loop and trim it short. |  |
| 6. To give the feathers a little dimension, fold each one in half vertically. Then, punch a hole in the top of each feather, loop a doubled strand of yarn through it, as shown, and string on a bead or two. Tie the strung feathers to the bottom of your dreamcatcher, spacing them evenly apart. |  |
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Member Comments On...
Paper Feather Dreamcatcher
4 |
the dream catcher really helped my son, who was having trouble sleeping because of nightmares. I am sure the Native Americans would not be offended by it. If anything else, it spurred on a conversation about the Native Americans. It's a craft- chill baby
10 |
Cute, but this is kind of offensive for some people. Dreamcatchers aren't meant to be fun little crafts for everyone, they are sacred items. Native American material culture is repeatedly commercialized and made into tacky kitsch for the mass consumption of Euro-Americans who misunderstand what they are buying and somehow think it is authentic, meaningful or whatever. Pocahontas was also horrifyingly ignorant remake of a true story that made Native American culture look absolutely ridiculous. This is not what we should be teaching our children.
