According to Ahlin, the initiative to design a lace installation came from the Workers' Cultural Society Freedom Žiri (Delavsko-prosvetno društvo Svoboda Žiri).

“From the get-go, the idea was to create an installation that represents and defines the town of Žiri, so it had to include lace. We were looking for a main theme. Wavering between traditional and modern patterns, we finally settled for a pattern that represents the Žiri Basin,” said the master lace-maker.

Ahlin caught the attention of the media after designing a 120 kilogram lace screen made of hemp rope for Stix Restaurant, a New York City Mediterranean restaurant. “The lace installation in New York garnered international acclaim after a major online design portal published an article on it. Word spread to other blogs, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive,” she said.