Max. 12 students, ages 16 and up.
Join me, Cookie Washington, for a joyful, soul-soothing week of slow crafting at the Beautility Upcycled Basket Workshop—where old t-shirts, bedsheets, ropes, and scrap fabric are transformed into vibrant, functional baskets. Whether you're brand new or a seasoned maker, you’ll learn coiling, wrapping, and stitching techniques that can be used to create everything from baskets to rugs, wall hangings, and beyond.
In a relaxed, welcoming space, we’ll talk about the growing problem of textile waste, the beauty of rethinking what we throw away, and the peace that comes from creating something meaningful with your hands. You’ll leave not only with a one-of-a-kind basket, but also with the skills, inspiration, and encouragement to keep crafting a more sustainable life.
Materials fee: $40
Students should bring: Favorite pieces of cloth, old clothes, clothing from someone you love, scissors
Why I Teach the Beautility Method
Making a single large toothbrush rug—about 54 by 68 inches—uses nearly 28 pounds of fabric, material that might otherwise end up in a landfill. Teaching this method allows the impact to extend far beyond my own hands. This work is my legacy—empowering others to transform materials into functional beauty while caring for the planet.
But this practice is about more than sustainability. Toothbrush rugging, basketry, and knot-based textile techniques are part of a long and sophisticated African lineage. Across the African continent, artisans developed advanced systems of weaving, coiling, plaiting, and knotting using raffia, grasses, bark fibers, and palm. These were technologies—used for daily life, trade, ceremony, and status—not hobbies or pastimes.
The earliest known needle-like tools were found in Africa thousands of years ago, yet in American craft histories, these skills are often presented as European in origin. African and African American knowledge—brought here through survival and endurance—has too often been erased or minimized. Enslaved Africans carried with them deep expertise in textiles, engineering, and design, shaping what we now call American “folk” and “utilitarian” crafts.
When I teach toothbrush rug making, basketry, and rag work today, I am reclaiming that lineage. These practices are not imitations—they are continuations. Each rug or basket connects us to generations who created beauty from what was available, who worked with intention, patience, and care.
For this workshop, although upcycling is central to my practice, I will use new, sanitized fabric materials to ensure the comfort and safety of all participants. This allows everyone to fully engage in the process while learning a technique rooted in history, creativity, and sustainability.
Every piece made is more than an object. It is a story, a memory, and a quiet act of restoration.
When we make with intention, we don’t just create objects—we restore history. This work reminds us that sustainability is not new; it is ancestral, and it has always lived in African and African American hands. What we often call “folk” or “utilitarian” craft carries deep intelligence, innovation, and care—knowledge that survived even when it was unnamed or erased. So this is not revival work—it is continuation. And in every stitch, we honor what was passed down, reclaim what was overlooked, and offer something lasting to the future.
