By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
jstultz@cherryroad.com

Katie Buhler’s enthusiasm about sewing with wool is contagious. She led a Friday Lunch and Learn session last week at the Vernon Filley Art Museum in Pratt, that was followed the next day by a hands-on wool felting workshop that was enjoyed by many.

“I’ve been sewing since I was 1-year-old, if you can count playing with the foot pedals of my mother’s sewing machine,” Buhler said. “I made my first wool outfit when I was in 4th grade, and since then the whole Make it With Wool program has led me to make lifelong friends who continue to share my passion for working with this fiber.”

In her wool talk at the Museum on March 7, Buhler shared her past creations, pros and cons, with a packed South Gallery crowd. She talked about all she had learned in the past two decades about wool and how it has become a much-desired fabric in the fashion scene.

“Wool is part of a circular supply chain,” Buhler said. “It literally comes from the earth by way of sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, and it is a protein-based fiber. Because of this it does not have to be washed as often and it has a 20-30 year lifespan.”

Buhler said wool can be reused, repaired easily, and is naturally biodegradable, making it a much more ecologically and economically preferred choice for clothing.

She said she really liked a top she made from stretch Marino wool because it was wicked away moisture naturally, was soft and stretchy, plus washable and easy to care for. It was also expensive, she said, but worth the investment.

After showing some of her favorite self-created wool garments, Buhler told about her newest wool project – felting. She said it could be used to make soft and warm scarves, pot holders, dryer balls and more. She explained processes of wool robing, needle felting, percentage testing, and more.

Buhler said she often comes home to Pratt to visit her parents Bob and Sue Buhler, and to raid the Buhler family wool stash of fabric in their basement as she pursues new projects.

Buhler is a 2016 graduate of Pratt High School, a former Pratt County 4-H Club member, a 2020 graduate of Kansas State University and a Teacher-of-the-Year award winner from the Wamego school district where she teaches fourth grade.