We are all aware of the role that process plays in our everyday lives. When we bake a loaf of bread we must first proof the yeast, mix the ingredients, knead the dough, wait for it to rise several times, bake it, and serve it. Prior to that was another series of processes for the farmer who raised the grain and threshed it, and the mill that ground it into flour. Every step of the process is vital and necessary to yield the finished product that eventually manifests in even something as simple as our daily bread.

Mary is a fiber artist who understands and appreciates process at such a personal level that she wants to be meaningfully involved in every step of the process and see it through from start to finish.

Last Thursday she visited A Garden Of Friend's and told the story of "Pelle's New Suit" to the children. Mary Kay is a dollmaker who creates Waldorf dolls from Wool harvested from sheep that she raises on her own farm.

She surprised us all when she brought a handmade Pelle Doll and a stuffed sheep she made to dramatically re-enact the story as she read it aloud! The children were able to watch the Wool from the sheep magically transform into a new suit of clothes for Pelle. She described to us how her sheep are sheared. She passed around Wool Roving for the children to hold. She then showed us how the Roving is carded, which many of the children were able to experience for themselves.

She then brought out her Spinning Wheel and showed the children how the Roving is spun into yarn. (The yarn she spun for us that day had been dyed four times to recreate the exact color blue as the yarn used to make Pelle's suit!)

After the Spinning Wheel demonstration she showed us how the yarn is woven into fabric using her portable loom. Many of the children were able to move the shuttle on the loom and notice how the yarn wove together to create the unique texture and color patterns in the fabric.

Finally, she brought out three different colors of dye she had mixed. Every child was able to pick one of the colors and dye a piece of Wool to bring home with them!

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the children gathered that day to see the end-to-end processes of an artisan and to be inspired to be more deeply aware of the processes of their own lives whenever they find themselves engaged in their own creative and artistic endeavors!

At the end of our time with Mary Kay the children took out games for free play and ate a healthy lunch together. It was exciting to have such a large group gathered together for such an amazing and inspiring event!