How to Make Dreamcatcher Earrings for Kids

Little kids will enjoy wearing dreamcatchers made from hoop earrings.

The Native American dreamcatcher legend tells of how dreamcatchers are made with holes in the center so that bad dreams will flow through, but the good dreams will be caught in the web. The design is a web of string or leather on a hoop of wood or metal. Hoop earrings are an ideal base to make miniature dreamcatchers. They don't take much time or specific skill and the resulting dreamcatcher earrings are an attractive novelty that kids will enjoy wearing.

Things You'll Need

• 1 pair of hoop earrings
• Needle
• Embroidery or quilting thread
• Glass beads
• Small feathers
• Glue
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut a length of thread about 12 inches long and tie one end of it in a knot to one of the hoop earrings. Slide the knot to the top of the hoop, where it attaches to the earring hook.

2. Pull the other end of the thread through the eye of the needle (this will make the thread easier to guide) and begin wrapping the thread around the hoop. Work all the way around the hoop until you reach the earring hook again. The entire hoop will be covered with the thread and no metal, other than the earring hook, will be visible.

3. Make several half hitch knots around the hoop, just a few centimeters apart. Work all the way around the hoop until you've reached the top again.

4. Make a second row of half hitch knots but this time secure the knots to the small lengths of thread that run between the knots on the first row you've just completed. Work all the way around until you've reached the top once again.

5. Make a third row of half hitch knots, securing them to the small lengths of thread on the second row of knots. After completing one or two knots on the third row, slide a bead onto the thread before making the next knot. Again, work all the way around until you reach the top again.

6. Tie as many knot rows as you need to make a web in the middle of the hoop, leaving a small hole in the center. Secure the loose tail of thread to one of the small lengths of thread from the final row of knots then remove the thread from the needle.

7. Apply a small amount of glue to the shaft of a feather and attach it to the loose tail of thread on the earring up close to the knot. Wind the thread around the shaft until the base of the feather is entirely covered and it is securely attached to the earring.

8. Clip the loose end of thread from the feather with the scissors. Repeat all steps to make a mate for your earring.

Tips & Warnings

• The spacing between your initial row of half hitch knots will depend on how big your hoops are. Larger hoops accommodate larger spacing between the knots and more knots in general. There is no right or wrong, though. You can space them to get the look that you desire.

• More than one feather can be attached to the earrings at different locations on the web by tying a knot of thread onto the web or the hoop and gluing and winding the shaft of the feather in the thread, as outlined in the steps.

References

• Spirit Connection Store: How to Make a Dreamcatcher
• Dreamcatchers: Make a Dreamcatcher for Kids

Resources

• "Dream Webs: Over 30 Fabled Designs"; Suzanne McNeill; 1994
• "Dreamcatchers Stained Glass Coloring Book"; Marty Noble; May 2009