How to Make Sterling Silver Dream Catcher Earrings
Dream catchers are a part of Native American tradition: they're said to trap bad dreams and let good ones through. Their circular, petal-like woven structure makes a beautiful design for jewelry. You can weave your own dream catcher earrings using sterling silver wire and hoop components: using blanket stitches, you can create a silver web that can be embellished with beads and silver feather charms.
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Things You'll Need
- Fine-gauge round sterling silver wire
- Two sterling silver earwires
- Circular earring components
- Jewelry pliers
- Six sterling silver feather charms
- Eight sterling silver jump rings
- Assorted small beads
Instructions
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Weaving The Dreamcatcher
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1
Take one end of your sterling silver wire and wrap it around one of the hoop components, near the topmost link. Wrap it tightly two or three times. On your last wrap, make a loop and pull the wire through it instead of wrapping next to it. This will secure the wire.
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2
Take the end of your sterling silver wire, and imagine it's a needle. Use it to stitch five to nine loops around the hoop component, depending on how large the hoops are that you're using. These loops are similar to blanket stitches or half-hitch knots: you'll loop the wire around the hoop, then bring it back through the loop you just made, pulling it snug against the hoop.
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3
When you've come back to your first blanket stitch, make a second row of stitches, this time making your loops through the wire in between your first row of stitches. Keep stitching this way until you reach the center of the hoop component. Now you have woven the web of your dreamcatcher. Tie a tiny knot in the wire and pull the knot so it's tight. Be gentle with the wire. Trim the excess wire with wire cutters.
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4
Repeat Steps 1 through 3 on your other hoop component.
Assembling The Earrings
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5
Attach each earwire to a hoop component, using one jump ring per connection.
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6
Attach three silver feather charms to each hoop component, using one jump ring per connection. You can space them out and get them to hold their positions by attaching the jump rings in between your first row of wire stitches, down at the bottom of your hoop components. Space them out so one is at the very bottom of the hoop. Then add one on either side of the first charm. Your charms should point roughly south, southwest and southeast.
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7
Give your earrings a quick polish with a silver-polishing cloth, and check all connections are tight and secure. Try them on to make sure they're evenly sized and look like a pair.
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8
Don your new creations, or give them to their intended recipient. Whoever wears them, according to Native American folklore, will only have good dreams, as the dream catchers will trap all the bad ones.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to add small beads to the "web" section of your earrings, thread them onto your wire before you make a stitch. Hold the bead steady as you make your next stitch so it doesn't fall off. Add them to one row of stitches, or every row if you like. Don't worry if they don't look even: concentrate on making the stitches even, and gravity will arrange the beads when you're done. Hold your wire steady as you make your web stitches, to make sure they don't pull or stretch too much.
Be gentle with your wire: it is only flexible up to a point, and pulling too hard may break it.
