Fusion 2013 - Space CRAFT , belfast

Me and my work at the opening of fusion 2013 exhibition. I was delighted to be offered a place to exhibit my work and it was a great learning experience on setting up an exhibition. I'm very grateful to space CRAFT for this opportunity as it was my first ever exhibition to be a part of.

End of year presentation!

Ondule weaving - cotton warp and black bin liner weft

My final presentation comprised of both my ondule woven pieces and my hand woven garments. I was very happy with the outcome and am looking forward to developing this further into my final year.

Work in Progress

Work in progress- weaving black bin bags. Having the black bags pinned at the back of the mannequin I have started bringing them around and weaving them from both sides to begin to shape a top. So far I am really liking the outcome and the texture and stretch the fabric has.

Inspiration - Gareth Pugh A/W 13

I am absolutely in love with this collection constructed using strips of bin bags, love the tight woven structures mixed with big pom pom shapes. You would never think it was it was made with bin bags!

Weaving Rubbish!!! ( Bin Bags)

Weaving black bags on card. I wanted to work out how to add in tassels and so I wove two rows and then attached them in and repeated. I like the effect and the movement it has and so want to repeat on a larger scale.

Plain weave with black bags, I like the way the light shines on it creating different tones and shapes.

PVC Macrame Top

Experimenting with Macrame on the mannequin using PVC strips.

Close up detail of the structures and knots created by the PVC.

I really enjoyed working with the PVC, I love the transparency,the feel and the way the PVC draped. After doing this piece it inspired me to look into other plastics that I could use in my work, which has led me to the material that I am currently working with, black bin bags.

Learning Macrame!

The images above are two of my very first samples of Macrame. I have only begun to learn and develop this technique and am really enjoying the different textures and patterns it can create. The sample on the left is using clear fishing wire and and a thin metalic red wire yarn together, and the sample on the right is using a paper yarn. The two samples create different patterns and this showed me that depending on the yarn you can create different effects, and this made me want to develop and experiment with more materials.

Knitting Wire

This is an image of a piece of my hand knitted wire, I love the way the light reflected off it when i took the photo. I am planning on using this image as inspiration for my colour board for my new projects this semester.

Ann Connor School of Modelling Promotion Shoot

Designer - Niamh Ni Cathain (Me)
Photography - Bradley Photography
Creative Director and stylist - Nor Lisa Fashion.



Was so pleased with the images I got from the shoot for my portfolio. Really love that its in black and white and the location at Belfast city hall. 

Rusting Fabric Time!

Preparation- My printed fabric and rusty springs I found in my garage.

Result after 2 days.

Close up of section rusted with the marks of the spring.

To rust my fabric(linen) I put my fabric in a bucket and poured vinegar and salt all over it, Im not one for measuring so not quiet sure on the measurements i used, i just made sure all the fabric was soaked. I then just wrapped the fabric around the rusty springs and placed in a plastic bag. I left it beside a heater ( not sure if this helps or not as this was my first time to try rusting) . I left it for 2 days and then took it out, it smelt really bad and the smell sticks to your hands, so I would definitely wear gloves if doing it again. I was really happy with the result and thought it gave my print an added effect, It is definitely a technique that I want to try again.