When I was in sixth grade, my step-dad’s mom, whom I didn’t know very well yet, asked me if I collected anything. She loved collections and was  known to randomly give gifts that made her think of you. As far as I knew, I didn’t collect anything, so she, being a lover of all things feng shui and mystical, gave me a dreamcatcher – the first of many – to start off my collection. Since then, I have accumulated too many to count and hang them everywhere, and anytime I see one, I have to resist the urge to buy more. The great thing about dreamcatchers, though, is that you can make your own! There are so many different ways to make them, and you can customize them with anything beautiful you’re looking for a use for – beads, fabric, jewelry, etc. Here, I show you how to make one with items you probably already have laying around.

Directions:

1) Take your leather cording and make a knot around your metal hoop. I used an old hoop earring, which made it easy to tie the cord around the backing.

2) Wrap the cord tightly all around the hoop. You may have to twist the cord around the hoop every once in a while to make sure it is tightly secured.

3) Once you have wrapped the cord all the way around the hoop, knot it off. You can either cut the excess cord off, or make a loop with it to hang the dreamcatcher from later. I opted to cut it off.

4) If the applique you chose is larger than the hoop, you can simply snip off any excess to make it fit inside the hoop.

5) Once your applique is the right size, take your needle and thread and sew around the edges of the applique, connecting it to the hoop. I chose to double my thread to fill in some of the extra space, but this is optional.

6) Finally, add your finishing touches! I cut strips of fabric with some added beads and tied them along the bottom. I also used the extra leather cord I had and attached feathers to the bottom with beads. I simply looped a piece of thread around the top to hang it, but you can also tie it to a twig for a more bohemian feel. Get creative!