Dreamcatcher Gourd Vase

Gourd art by Christy Barajas

You can use a dreamcatcher image from the "Traditional Native American Designs" Stick 'n Burn pack, or you can draw your own.

Stick 'n Burn Traditional Native American Designs Pack

The reason you want to do this is so you get even, consistent lines on each teardrop shape. If you only burn one section of the teardrop shape and then jump around and burn other parts, your pattern will NOT look right because the lines on each teardrop won't look contiguous.

You can embellish your dreamcatcher design with feathers and also by drawing on some leather cord. I hand-drew the pieces of cord, then used Stick 'n Burn designs for the feathers, but just for the outline of the feathers.

You will want to woodburn all the small lines inside the feathers after you peeled off your stick n' burn. This will make your feathers look more realistic.

When you're done woodburing all your design elements, condition your gourd with Formula 49 by wiping it on with a cotton round or piece of felt (this removes any pencil
lines that might be left as well).

Color your dreamcatcher rim and leather cord using Tan Ink Dye applied with a Fine Tip Applicator. Color the feather using White Ink Dye and Mocha Transparent Acrylic (its important to use these semi-transparent colors and NOT acrylic paint because you want the woodburned lines of your feathers to show through); color one feather at a time so your colors don't dry before you can blend them together.

Start by applying the White Ink Dye on the top two-thirds of the feather; leave the ink dye wet and apply Mocha to the bottom third, then gently blend the colors together a little using a microbrush or cotton swab. Once the color is how you like it, heat set with a heat tool. Continue on using the same steps with your other feathers.

After you're done coloring and heat setting your colors on to your gourd you're ready to do a fancy cut rim and cut out on your gourd.

With a pencil, draw a fancy rim and a "crack" coming down from the rim of your gourd. Using the GourdMaster Pro Carver with a Fili-Point Burr to cut out your rim and crack design. Always wear eye protection and a face mask when cutting and carving on gourds. (You may want to wear ear plugs as well if the sound is bothersome).

After you cut out the design, use a woodburner with a writing pen to shade the very edge of your fancy cut and crack design. I also hand-drew some birds and used the shading
pen to darken them.

If you would like to inlay a real stone cabachon like I did, trace the stone using a pencil, then use the "Dremel 191 Ball Cutter" attached to your Pro Carver or Dremel tool to carve
out the area where you will you'll be inserting the cabochon.

Be careful not to make the area too large and test your stone often for fit when you are carving out the area on your gourd. Or you can do it the easy way and paint your "stone" on using Aquamarine Transparent Acrylic mixed with a small amount of White Ink Dye!

Last you want to seal gourd with GourdMaster Protecting Wax (or GourdMaster Gourd Varnish) for a beautiful natural finish.

See Below for Links to Materials Used in This Project: