Forgotten Skillz offers hands-on workshops, outdoor experiences, and experiential education programs across Long Island. Our events explore the connections between nature, traditional skills, cultural history, craft, science, stewardship, and human ingenuity through direct participation and discovery.
Programs may take participants into the woods to learn fire-making, navigation, foraging, ecology, or wilderness skills; into the workshop to explore historic crafts and technologies; or into the past through activities inspired by the ways people have created, adapted, solved problems, and understood their world. Events are designed for a range of ages and experience levels, with opportunities for children, teens, adults, families, homeschool communities, and the general public.
Twined Basketry: A Traditional Weaving Workshop (Amagansett)
Thursday, October 1st | 5:00pm | Amagansett Free Library
Twined basketry is one of the oldest known methods of basket-making, with traditions found across many cultures and regions of the world. The technique uses pairs of flexible weavers twisted around upright supports, creating a structure that is both strong and adaptable. For generations, twined baskets have been used for gathering, storage, carrying, fishing, and countless other practical tasks.
In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn the basic structure and hand movements used in traditional twined basketry. Working with natural materials and simple tools, each person will build a small basket from the base upward, learning how to establish the framework, maintain tension, shape the walls, and finish the rim. The process is approachable for first-time weavers while still offering a meaningful introduction to the patience, coordination, and problem-solving involved in the craft.
Presented by Forgotten Skillz, the workshop also places basket-making within a broader historical and cultural context. Participants will consider how people transformed locally available plants and fibers into durable everyday objects, as well as the role basketry has played in Indigenous traditions and communities around the world. The focus is on learning the technique respectfully, understanding its practical value, and appreciating the ingenuity behind an object that is often taken for granted today.
No prior basket-making experience is required. All materials are provided, and each participant will complete a small twined basket to take home.
Every Forgotten Skillz event is built around learning by doing. Whether you are trying something for the first time or building on skills you already have, our programs invite you to experiment, ask questions, work with real materials, and discover new ways of looking at the natural and human world.
Explore the calendar above to find upcoming Forgotten Skillz workshops and events throughout Long Island.