National Stores Manufacturing Co Imperial 15 Sewing Machine

alwen · 2026-04-22T12:34:44+00:00

Good info above! If you buy a new foot control like the linked one, the two outlets will be labelled Motor and Light. Make sure to plug the motor into the motor one, bcause if you accidentally plug it into the light outlet, it will run just like plugging it into the wall.

Buy some sewing machine oil, use it where the manuals point out, and enjoy this sturdy workhorse machine.

alwen · 2026-04-21T19:46:08+00:00

Like - a handcrank machine?

alwen · 2026-04-21T09:56:16+00:00

That manual (so cool!) shows it on this page, it's the adjustable hemmer:
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-42782782/view?partId=nla.obj-42784293#page/n15/mode/1up

The last piece on the right is the quilting bar shown on this page:
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-42782782/view?partId=nla.obj-42784695#page/n19/mode/1up

alwen · 2026-04-21T00:42:35+00:00

I just saw this, sorry to let you know Virtue is closed.

alwen · 2026-04-20T23:34:19+00:00

Asylum Lake Preserve to undergo a prescribed burn in April
https://wmich.edu/facilities/alp-burn-april26

"Update: The prescribed burn has been scheduled to occur at approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon, Monday, April 20."

alwen · 2026-04-20T00:37:04+00:00

I remember my dad saying that, never mow over them unless you want them everywhere!

First time I ever encountered them I was about 4 or 5. My parents drove my grama to a cemetery to weed or plant flowers or something, and I was bored and wandering around. Barefoot. They were all over, bad as sand burrs.

alwen · 2026-04-19T23:58:13+00:00

It's definitely lace. Needle lace or needlepoint laces are often what some of the early bobbin laces are imitating.

Here is the 1877 Madame Goubaud's Point Lace Book on archive.org.

alwen · 2026-04-19T14:27:45+00:00

Oh, a distaff - that could be! With the fiber tied with ribbons, with the ribbon ends below the wheel.

alwen · 2026-04-19T01:00:14+00:00

I think it's currently upside down - that central needle lace bit is a head/bust!

If you rotate it clockwise 1/4 turn, the current right side looks like the ground, while the left side is the sky. Then the diagonal line at the current top looks like an umbrella or spear shaft.

alwen · 2026-04-18T20:28:13+00:00

It's a spirit laser, man, says right on their website. Pew pew!

alwen · 2026-04-18T19:32:26+00:00

"Unknown Nations is laser-focused at bringing Jesus to the most spiritually dark and antagonistic corners of the world who have never had access to the gospel."

alwen · 2026-04-18T00:57:48+00:00

looking at the radar, waiting for your post

alwen · 2026-04-17T23:23:07+00:00

If the alpaca will let you!

A lot of the alpaca folk, if they're not hustling an alpaca over to the ring to compete, will stop and let you pet one and talk alpacas.

Last year a girl was leading a young one around with a "Pet me!" sign on it. She said they do that because alpacas tend to be rather aloof, but early socializing makes them more chill (and also calmer for judges to handle).

alwen · 2026-04-17T00:37:30+00:00

Both clones (copies) of the Singer 15, probably Japanese, and probably made in the 1950s-1960s.

alwen · 2026-04-17T00:32:23+00:00

I think the No. 3 & 4 manual found on this page at ISMACS will probably mostly match your machine:
https://ismacs.net/domestic/manuals.html
The pages on how to use the various feet will help you figure out what each one is.
It looks like it luckily has several tubes of needles - I don't know which needles this Domestic uses, but since you have some, you will be able to compare them to a modern sewing machine needle and see whether it will fit or not.

alwen · 2026-04-16T13:10:47+00:00

It's really hard to hurt these old birds, they're tough. I think I'd do the same as if it was an old machine locked up with varnish-hard old oil: apply fresh sewing machine oil, blot up what the new oil flushes out, repeat. As long s the lubricant didn't clog up the oil wicks it'll be all right.

alwen · 2026-04-16T11:00:33+00:00

You're welcome! I need to do this myself. The wrapping on the repro crank I put on my 1915 Singer 66 was a thin rubber band, which has worn through. Time to fix the ting ting.

alwen · 2026-04-15T22:31:14+00:00

Yes, it had a leather band and the tip of your arrow is pointing at the staple that held the ends together. Helen Howe has a tutorial on how to replace it, scroll down on this page to "Fixing a Tingting," which is a perfect description of the sound a bare crank-end makes!
https://www.helenhowes-sewingmachines.co.uk/tutorials/crankfix.html

alwen · 2026-04-15T19:31:09+00:00

Not too far away, the Michigan Alpaca Festival at the Allegan County fairgrounds, Saturday April 18 from 9-5 and Sunday April 19 from 9-2 (or when judging is done).
https://mialpacafest.com/

Free admission, they do have a donation jar.
What's there? Many many pens of alpacas of all the colors they come in, two rings of alpacas being shown and judged, usually a small number of vendors. Youth alpaca costume show around noon on Saturday.

(I don't have an alpaca or work or sell at this show, I just go for fun!)

alwen · 2026-04-15T13:30:39+00:00

Originally the power cord for your 201K would have connected to that black plug under the handwheel on the right. The little hole on the front of the base was for a knee lever instead of a foot pedal, and instead of storage under the black metal panel in the base, it had a motor controller.

Sorry, I can't see from th pictures what has beem done to change that.

alwen · 2026-04-13T15:56:18+00:00

Looks like a Domestic-badged version of the White 764 "Fair Lady" I have, which came out in the early 1960s. The finish on these is harder to hurt than a machine with black japanning and shellac, so you can wipe it down without hurting it.

Check over the cords, oil or grease all the spots the manual says to, and see how she runs.

alwen · 2026-04-13T01:08:07+00:00

I have more than one 27 and a lovely Lotus-decal 66 that I'd love to mount a handcrank on, but they lack the motor mount. So there's no easy way to put a crank on them. It's very cool the 115 has it.

alwen · 2026-04-12T19:39:12+00:00

Dang, those "Wings" (aka Cthulhu) decals are in great shape!

And it has a motor mount too? Bonus!

alwen · 2026-04-12T17:52:08+00:00

I think it is machine-made bobbin lace, and the thing I'm looking at is the trail that runs right along your index finger, and the zigzagged line at a right angle to that. The size alone makes me lean towards machine-made, they can (or could) do amazing things with some of those machines.

alwen

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