Ashworth studied at the National Film and Television School graduating in 1987 with her short film 'The Web' based on Mervyn Peakes Gormenghast. Ashworth co-founded 3 Peach Animation through which she directed many projects including the opening titles for Tim Burton's Batman 1. Ashworth joined the Royal College of Art in 1994 as Professor of Animation. In 2002, Ashworth completed 'How Mermaids Breed' inspired by Bronze Age Cycladic fertility figures and the drawings of Henry Moore, and using 3dsMax. In 2010, Ashworth completed her most recent film, Mushroom Thief, using pixilation and stop frame, shot on location in a lush green meadow in Lancashire, UK.