Raising the Surface

This is the current background on my computer screen. I stitched some metal mesh onto a piece of acrylic felt. I painted the felt with acrylic and then melted it away with a hot air gun. The mesh acting as a resist. The backing is a piece of silk paper made with silk strippings. Initially I backed it with a piece of pink quilted silk and began to stitch on tiny beads - this didn't really work , so I took off the beads and now its a work in progress. I have a heap of such pieces, which usually come in handy at some point.
Personally I don't really like the idea of heating man made fibres to make lacey backgrounds; there is something about the process which is not pleasant, but then its fun to try new techniques. The book with many such ideas is called 'Raising the Surface with Machine Embroidery' by Maggie Grey; it is full of interesting ideas and lovely photographs.