So of course I had to use my EVE Online alliance logo for my first attempt at digitizing multi-color embroidery from scratch 😃 It’s not perfect, of course, but I’m really super happy with how it came out! I continue to learn a ton about digitizing embroidery designs for machine embroidery in the process, and the next run of it will be nearly perfect! I’ll eventually sew this onto my EVE Online swag vest.
My first attempt at trapunto quilting on the new machine, and also my first attempt at digitizing a quilting/embroidery design! Other than that nasty little fold of fabric (I didn’t hoop it as tight as I should), it’s really nifty! Well, technically, it’s my second attempt at trapunto quilting on the new machine … sigh … that moment when you realize you forgot to put down the bottom layer of fabric and all the stuffing wants to pop out as you tear away the stabilizer… lol! Sorry, I neglected to take a picture of that fail!
As an FYI, that’s the Mimatar faction logo from the game EVE Online. The next one is the Amarr faction logo. I think I’ll try a thicker batting (or a triple layer of the cheap thin stuff I am using here), and cloth that isn’t just dog-and-cat-hair-covered scrap material!
Still not puffy enough, but that’s due more to the thinness of the Amarr logo, I should have enlarged it more. Going to break down and invest in wash-away stabilizer sooner rather than later, too!
Next up … the Caldari logo! I’m definitely getting the hang of digitizing embroidery patterns but of course, still much to learn.
The Caldari one came out nearly perfect. I widened the background stitch pattern size some, so the fabric now remains flexible, and enlarged the design as much as I could within my machine’s hoop size (and sash prototype). I definitely need a better camera …
I have a new toy! It’s a Brother LB-6800 embroidery and sewing machine and I already freakin’ adore it! I bought it on eBay for $299.95, about $150 less than new. Technically, it’s a refurbished machine but it was actually new in box and had all the original sealed by manufacturer packaging – it even had that factory new smell, if you know what I mean.
It’s official – I now own as many sewing machines as I own computers! This pretty much replaces my ~20 year old plain jane straight stitcher and my ~10 year old overlock/serger, it can do everything those can do plus sooooo much more – and automatic needle threader! ♥♥♥ Of course, I’ll keep my other two sewing machines, especially the serger!
To make room for it, of course, I had to rearrange and clean and declutter the crafts room at least somewhat … Someday Soon™ I’ll get around to doing a “proper” organization/reorganization of my craft room but for now, this is a major improvement!
Take a wild guess what the first thing I embroidered was! Ignore the random stitching on the edges, was playing with the various built-in stitches on my new toy!
Somewhat shockingly, I realized the other day I have never attempted to make Spätzle from scratch before… ya, I know, that’s borderline criminal! This was my first attempt, and all I can say is I’m kicking myself for never having done this before!! mmmmmmm
About two years ago, I picked up a Spätzle maker at an Idaho Youth Ranch thrift store for about $2. It looked like it’d barely been used before. I just used the first listed recipe on the back of the package and voila! First time ever, perfect Spätzle! Well, perfect for me … I’m pretty sure I overcooked them some but still yummy, yummy, yummy!
This Spätzle maker appears to date to the mid to late 1990s as the original price sticker ($6.75) has a four-digit code of 1196 on the upper right corner of it. One of the many, many jobs I’ve had in my life was as a retail cashier back in the 1980s. We all helped price and stock shelves when deliveries came and always had to adjust the numbers on the pricing gun to the current month/year, so I’m quite positive that the 1196 on the sticker is November 1996. A prior and/or original owner wrote “2/24/97” on the front so that provides further support that this dates to at least 1997.
Here’s the recipes as shown on the back of the package. I used the first recipe. A prior owner wrote on the back their calculation to make half the batch. I found the description of “1/2 egg shell water” such a charming way to describe how much water to add! Coincidentally, I did end up adding 2 tablespoons of water to the batter when I made it, the dough seemed too stiff to go through the holes in the maker.
Making Spätzle is really simple. Simply place the maker on top of a sauce pan (filled with boiling water) and spoon the thick batter into the container on the top of the maker. Then quickly slide the bin back and forth over the holes and little bits of dough fall into the water where they happily boil away for a few minutes! While not as simple as opening a box of dried pasta and throwing it into boiling water, making Spätzle actually took less time than cooking dry pasta. Granted, the time to cook dry pasta is spent mostly doing nothing except occasionally stirring the pasta while the time making and cooking Spätzle is entirely active cooking time.
Oh my, I don’t have the words to describe how many memories of my time in Germany back in 1990 came rushing back as I ate my Spätzle … and I unashamedly admit I ate the entire batch!
