[2][3] She was the daughter of Charles Edward Fraser Tytler of Balnain and Aldourie, who worked for the East India Company.

Watts exhibited her work at The Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

[12] Watts, through the Home Arts and Industries Association (HAIA), worked to create employment for rural communities through the preservation of handicrafts.

In 1899, she was asked to design rugs in this style for the carpet company Alexander Morton & Co of Darvel, Liberty's main producer of furnishing fabrics.

In cooperation with the Congested Districts Board, Morton had established a workshop in Donegal, Ireland, to employ local women who had little opportunity to earn a livelihood.