Earlier this summer, DHL got in touch asking if I’d like to take part in their DHL Chinese Whispers Crafty Blogger Challenge…

Any excuse to get crafting, so of course I said yes! The first in my group’s chain, I was given a secret theme which I will reveal when the chain is completed (loosely interpreted, I confess!). With £30 worth of vouchers for Hobbycraft  – which arrived in a huge DHL box! – I bought the materials I needed to make a dreamcatcher. I’ve never made one before or even had one, and once an avid dreamer, of late, my dream life hasn’t been that active (read, exhausted first-time mum!) so I thought it was a nice way to focus on my dream life. A native American tradition, the idea is that the web and beads catch the bad dreams and only the good dreams get through and slide down the feathers to you. To hang above your bed as a protective charm, I think they look pretty just about anywhere! I’ve since discovered that I should have used the same feathers not different ones, so apologies for that!

Anyway, to start. I used an embroidery hoop with the metal inset removed, a thickish wool, waxed thread, a selection of beads and feathers. All I needed were a pair of scissors and a darning needle.

Wrap the wool around the hoop, leaving a length at the start which can be turned into a loop at the end. I made sure the wool was nice and tight to leave no hoop peering through.

With needle and knotted thread, start the web by threading the knot through the inside of the hoop and created a starting frame for six lengths within the hoop.

Next, take your needle to the middle of a length and make a simple knot to secure its position and then move on to the middle of the next length. It took a bit of trial and error to get this right but it was quite easy in the end. There are loads of really complicated web designs on the web but I freestyled a sort-of star.

About a third of the way through the web, I added a bead with a knot each side. And then two more! Once I had finished the web I knotted and snipped.

With needle and knotted thread start the first feather length, adding beads and a feather. This feather was easy as it had a little hoop at the end.

The middle length with the white feather was a bit more tricky. To attach the feather I wound some embroidering thread around the quill and secured it with a bead and a knot.

And there you have it. A super pretty dreamweaver! You may have noticed the sunny backdrop; I did this project while in Portugal. On my return to London, I boxed it up for a very friendly and helpful DHL courier to collect and deliver to the next blogger in the Chinese Whisper chain – Helen from Actually Mummy. Helen, I hope by now you have received the dreamcatcher and are inspired for your project – happy crafting! And I can’t wait to eventually receive a craft project from Anna from Miss Beatrix (she sells beautiful handmade and handpainted buttons in her Etsy shop) closing the chain!