Dream catchers are so pretty, and the selection of decorative ones in shops is amazing, but I often find people would like a sacred or special dream catcher, and there is only one way to get one.
Make it.

---

So today, I wanted to share with you how to make your own Sacred Dream Catcher. You can make this for a friend, or for yourself, but for a dream catcher to have special meaning, it has to have been made specially!

Setting Your Intention

First of all, you need to set your intention. You need form a clear intention, who is this dream catcher for? Why am I making it? And carry this intention out into the world with you. You need to open up this intention, and allow the world to answer you.

Finding Your Sacred Feathers
You cannot buy sacred feathers. A lot of people want pretty or unusual feathers, but resist the temptation to buy them. Sacred feathers will find you. If you go out into the world with the intention in your heart, you will be amazed at the beauty of the feathers that found you. If the dream catcher is for someone else, think about them, why you wanted to make it for them, how you feel about that person, and let those feelings seek out sacred objects they resonate with. You will find feathers drifting down from the sky to land in your path, catching just outside your front door, drifting across your every day path. It can take weeks to find just the right feathers, but just be patient, it may have a long way to come to get to you, or if may not be ready for you yet. The longer you have the wait, the more special that feather must be! Just keep putting any feathers you find away until you feel you have enough. The center feather is the most important, so this will be the one you feel most drawn to.

Your Chosen Crystal
The center crystal is an important part of a sacred dream catcher and finding the right one can be quite a challenge. If possible, you want to choose a type crystal that has special meaning, or comes from a special place. You cannot buy your crystal online, because you need to be able to hold it. When you have decided what sort of crystal you want, standing front of the crystal selection, and focus your intention. Pick each crystal up, and hold it between both of your hands. Crystals are able to resonate with your feelings and emotions, which is why they are often assigned different properties. In reality, no two crystals are exactly the same, and the color of a crystal means very little to its properties. Ignore the pre-printed cards that tell you what each crystal does. Reach out with all of your needs, all of your hopes and desires, and you will feel which crystal is the right one.

What Do You Need

• A strong hoop (you can buy these on ebay for about £1, old bracelets work well, anything strong and circular)
• Ribbon to wrap your hoop
• Thread to weave the spider web (I use embroidery as it is cheap, readily available, and comes in many colors)
• Beads to decorate
• Sacred Feathers
• A Chosen Crystal

Wrapping the Hoop

I find that wrapping the ribbon around either itself (as above), or around a hairpin/bobbin, makes it much easier to wrap around the hoop. It allows you to keep the ribbon taut and gives you added control.

Take the end of your ribbon, and using sellotape, affix one end to the hoop. You will wrap over this, so don't worry about it being too neat. Continue wrapping the ribbon around the hoop, ensuring to go over where you started, until you have a complete loop. Once you reach the end, knot the ribbon. You can cut it off, or leave it long as either a decorative ribbon, or use it to hang the dream catcher from.

Making the Spiders Web

When you make the web, it is important to feel relaxed and happy, to focus on calm contentment with each knot you make. It can be a bit tricky, so it may be worth making practice web first, and then once you are past the stressful learning curve, you can get in the right frame of mind to make the real web.

The repetitive nature of making the web is supposed to be relaxing and therapeutic, if you find it isn't, take a break, may be have a cup of tea, and come back feeling refreshed and ready to try again. If you get angry and frustrated, these are the feelings you will be knotting into your web.

Tie your thread to the hoop, leaving about a 1 cm gap between each point. The smaller the gaps, the more intricate your dream catcher will be, but the gaps do not need to be exactly the same width.

"It is important to remember; it is the imperfections that make a dream catcher perfect"

I find it easier to cut the thread after each circuit, and do the next layer of the hoop with a new thread. I find this easier, and it means you can alternate or fade between colors, but if you can use one long thread if you prefer. The knot is very like a blanket stitch, I have tried to take a few photos which demonstrate looping the thread and pulling the end through the loop to make a knot.

If you want to use beads on the web, it is easier to put them nearer the edge than the middle (as there is more space for them) Continue knotting and looping your thread until the hole in the middle is quite small. Now it is very important to remember that the web is not supposed to be perfect. Each dream catcher is hand made, for a particular person, and so it is shaped to them. There would be no magic in them all looking the same.

Now it is time to sit back and appreciate your hard work and wonderful web. It may look rather bare for now, but not for long...

We will be back tomorrow with Part 2 - Sacred Feathers, Crystals & Decoration