This is a busy period for Northern Ireland designer-maker Rachel McKnight. In September she exhibited for the first time at 100% Design show in London, where she met top architects and interior designers.

This month she is exhibiting at  the Great Northern Show in Manchester along with four other makers from Northern Ireland, supported by Craft NI's Trade Show programme.

Speaking from her workshop in her home off the Lisburn Road, she is hurrying to pack for New York where her work is part of an exhibition in the American Irish Historical Society on Fifth Avenue.

'It’s been an amazing couple of years. I’ve loved every minute,' she says. Rachel – who turns 30 in November – was always creative but she also is a born entrepreneur.

'When I was little I did these puppet shows and I’d charge my friends to come in and watch – I even paid my brothers to do the lighting! I couldn’t wait to have my own business but after finishing my degree at the University of Ulster in 2003 I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to start a business making jewellery.

'I took a job at an office but was so bored. I just wanted to be creative. I made a few pieces and went around shops to see if they’d stock them. I was lucky in that Copper Moon took the pieces straight away and placed an order.'

From there the only way was up – she got involved with the Craft and Design Collective which runs Space Craft in Belfast and then went on the Making It Programme run by Craft NI. In recent years her work has taken her to many places. She says trade shows like 100% Design and Great Northern are hugely important to designer-makers.

'It’s your chance to make contact with people in the industry and to get your work sold around the world. It takes a lot of time and planning and when you return you have to follow up by emailing all the people you met and sending on images of work that might be suitable for them.'

Her new work went down well at 100% Design in London. She has produced placemats and coasters and her polypropylene wall panels created a huge amount of interest. 'I liked the idea of creating a decorative wall piece that wasn’t two dimensional. Because the polypropylene is clear you can see the colour of the wall behind coming through.'