We can’t get enough of new contributors here at TMS lately! Today we’re welcoming Hallmark Senior Designer Melissa K. to the blog. When she’s not creating for Hallmark’s Home and Gifts lines, she’s crafting beautiful things for her family and friends. We loved her DIY dream catchers so much, we asked her to make them alongside some other Hallmark artists and share the process.

I originally taught myself to make dream catchers because I needed a way to ease my daughter’s anxiety about sleeping in her own bed at night. This seemed like a sweet and imaginative way to give her the feeling of security she needed.

They’re easy to make. So with the help of a few crafty Hallmark friends, I’ve put together an easy step-by-step guide so you can create your own. It’s a beautiful way to fend off bad dreams (and also to brighten up a bedroom).

Step 1: First things first, let’s gather your supplies. You will need:

• A lace doily (the focal point for your dream catcher). You can purchase this at a local craft store or online. Our favorite source is CrochetCluster, where you can find several unique and colorful options.
• A wooden embroidery hoop
• Yarn
• A hot glue gun
• Wooden or plastic beads
• Ribbon (we like satin and lace ribbon to hang from the hoop)
• Feathers

Step 2: Once you’ve gathered your supplies, remove the outer embroidery hoop with the metal clamp and use just the inner hoop. Start with a 12” piece of yarn and hot glue the tip of the yarn onto the inside of the hoop.

Step 3: Loop the yarn around the hoop and wrap in quarters, hot gluing the yarn down as you start and finish each quarter.

Step 4: After you’ve wrapped your hoop with yarn, lay the lace doily across the hoop and center it. Hot glue the edges down until the doily is stretched securely on the hoop.

Step 5: Now go back and weave yarn through the doily and back around the hoop for a polished look. (This is where scotch tape comes in handy: wrap the tip of the yarn with a piece of tape so it’s easier to string through the lace.)

Step 6: Lay out the beads, feathers, and ribbons you want to use. (Going for a rustic, natural look? Choose wooden beads, natural feathers, and lace ribbons. For a more colorful, kid-friendly aesthetic, choose plastic beads, colored feathers, and a mix of satin and lace ribbons.)

Step 7: Cut 24” strips of yarn for stringing your beads and feathers.

Step 8: Loop through hoop and doily and hot glue as needed.

Step 9: Tie ribbons to embellish the hoop as much as you like. Then tie and loop a 6” piece of yarn at top center of hoop to hang your dream catcher. (You can add a bead through the loop for a more polished look.)

All done! Check out our finished dream catchers for ideas to inspire your own DIY dream catcher.

Fun fact: The Ojibwe Indians believe that a dream catcher allows only good dreams to slide down its feathers to a person who sleeps below it. Bad dreams are caught in its net and disappear with the light of day.

Want more craft ideas from our artists? Check out our DIY section!

Photography: Kevin C.

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— Tobe R.