Having studied at the Canberra Institute of the Arts, Mary has been sewing since she was twelve years old. Her practice—printmaking, textiles including dyeing, weaving and machine knitting—and main passion is using recycled materials to reconstruct garments, 'repairing' denim jeans using Japanese Boro techniques and embroidery, and offering workshops in 'toothbrush rugs' (an old Scandinavian technique), Dorset buttons, reconstructed hats and fingerless gloves.

Mary is inspired by the beauty of Queenstown and uses the ferns and vegetation in her discharge-dyed garments. Mary's major claim to fame is as a winner on four occasions in the Alice Springs Beanie Festival Competition.