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A quick tutorial on the paracord dream catcher.
Making the paracord is a very rewarding task. Not only you get a nice little design you can use on keychains and fobs, but you can also use it as a decorative piece in bracelets or as a pendant.
Another very positive thing about the dream catcher is that it is made using the inner strands of paracord, which are often left over from gutting paracord.
Indeed, I find the inner strands work amazingly well as dream catchers. The only other way I have been able to use the inner strands so far has been to use them for lacing bracelets.
In any case, let’s get to it and see what we need and how we make the paracord dream catcher.
Supplies
Depending on what you are making, you will need the following:
- inner strands of paracord 550
- an O-ring to serve as the outer circle
- some gutted paracord to wrap the O-ring with
- a sewing needle with a fairly large “ear” so you can fit the inner strands of paracord in it
- some paracord 550 and a key ring if you are making a keychain (as seen on the image)
- a lighter
- scissors
Phew! Quite a list of supplies needed, huh? I was surprised that this tiny project required some nice logistics to boot! Now on to the tutorial.
How to make a paracord dream catcher- the tutorial
The process of making the dream catcher is fairly simple. Take an O-ring and wrap it around with paracord. Tuck the end and attach the key ring to the O-ring with a series of cobra knots (as seen on the image). For the dream catcher part, we will be using simple half hitches to imitate the webbing. If you are not familiar with the half-hitch, see my how to make a paracord lighter wrap tutorial, which shows off how to make the half hitch.
I find that you can use the spaces in the wrap between the cord to place the inner strands nicely. For the first set of half hitches, I place them at every single wrap. For the second and third row of hitches though, I decide between using every second or every third loop in the previous row.
A few must know tips
This project is fun, but it can become quite frustrating if you make a few, easy to make mistakes. How do I know? Because I did them and hopefully learned from them!
- secure the inner strand onto the O ring by tying it on. Be sure the knot will hold.
- make sure the first row of half hitches fits nicely into the spaces between the cord. Check both sides for the best look.
- NEVER ever try to singe the end of the inner strand. Inner strands of paracord are delicate and evaporate in contact with direct flame. Tie the end of the inner strand off instead.
I highly recommend you have some fun with it. Increasing the spaces between hitches creates some nice patterns!
Now for a few images of the process:
