Her client list included royalty, government departments, major corporations, museum collections and private collectors.

she was trained in rug weaving with Gwen and Barbara Mullins at Graffham Weavers[10] combined with part-time study at Farnham and Reigate Art Schools.

Farmer was awarded a Digswell Arts Trust Fellowship (1964–1967), a residency programme established in Hertfordshire by Henry Morris.

[19] Several of her students went on to have illustrious careers of their own including Jennie Moncur,[20][21] Jeni Ross,[22] Philip Sanderson,[23] and Jun Tomita (specifically known for Japanese Kasuri weaving).

[79][80] The MA Tapestry Course at the Royal College of Art finally closed in 1995 and Mary Farmer went into retirement after over a decade of the challenging situation with the course's sustainability.

Mary Farmer remained largely independent into later life; however, she suffered acute illness during the COVID-19 pandemic and died 1 February 2021 in Boston, Lincolnshire, England.