Domestic 808 User manual

.../ / . ·- (
4( . ...... .., .. -· '-;:.,
omestic
SEWING MACHINES
SINCE 1868

You are now the owner of a new Do:mestlc zigZag sewing macbine. tbe mcst
versatile machine of its type you can possess . Buttonholes . monogramming. darning .
overcasting and creative embroidery art! done w ith _ ease and speed.
To aid you in obtaining tho greatest performance from your machine thi.s
book on its care and use bas been wr itten for you. Read the inst ruction s ca refull ,y
as a thorough understanding of your machine wW reward you with many bours of
trouble-free creative sewl.ng.
Time-saving attachments sucb as ru!flers . binders . edgestitcbers and cord ·
ing feet. to complement tbe accessories furnished a.re available from your dealer .
DOMESTIC SEWI NG MACHI.NE CO ., INC .
Cleveland, Ohio 44111
DOMESTIC SEWING MACHINES
1470 Birchmount Road
Sc&-boroUQh, Ontario , Can ada

Paqes
Accessories ......... ...............•..•·· .... .. 22
How to Use ····:.··············· ··· •·· ·· · 23
Hemmers •··········· ··· ·················· 24
Seam Gauge or Cloth Guide ··· ··· 25
Quilting Guide 25
Adjusting and Chanqinq "V" Belt 28
Attachments.....•...............•.............. 33
Adjustable Cord and Zipper Foot 40
Attachment Foot··· ··················· ·· 34
Binder· •••• ••··••••·····•··•·••····· ··· •• ·•·• 36
·Edgestitcher •········•••··••··•··········· 34
Hemmers ··········· ·· ···· ·· ·· ··· ········· '57
Ruffler •·············· •· ····• ·· •········ 41-42
Blind Hem.........•••••••• .. .. ....... .... •...••• 16
Bobbin
Placing in Shuttl e· ·····•················· 7
Threading ··········••········· ············ 6
Winding ········· ··············· ········· · ·· 5
Buttonholes • •· ··•·········•················ 19-20
Bound ··· ·· ·································· 46
Buttons Sew -On· ····························· 21
Charts
Needle•Thread.Fabric-Stitching••···· 4
Stitch Length··········· ······ ············· 9
Trouble •······ ·· ··· ··· ············ 29 .30.31
INDEX
Pages
Darning and Mending--··· ·· · ····· ··· ····· 11
· Embroidery
Creati ve •····· ·················· •·· ··· ··· 17
Hoop ··· ········•··•················•·...... 18
Features and Parts (Front View) ..:... 2
(Back View)········· 3
Installation• Head in Cabinet•··········· 49
He ad in Portable case ··• 48
Maintenance and Care ······ ······ ······ 26
Cleaning and Oiling the Shuttle 27
Needle Setting ········ .. ·················..···· 6
Pressure and Feeding of Fabric ······ 11
Thin and Light weight Fabr ics•·· 11
Reverse Sewing································· 9
Sewing Preparation ··• •· •·················· 12
Sewing Tips ························ ··· · ... ,• 43
Straight Stitching ·······················•··· 13
Tension Adjustment ·······••
00
•··· · ····· ··· 10
Thread ing-Upper ......•··...... ...... •......•• 8
1

2
FEATURES AND PARTS
(:ror:t V1ew i
Fig. 1
1. Tnread Take-up i..eve~
2 Pressu!'e Release
(Darning)
3. Arm Thread Guides
4. Decorative Stitch Di11l
5. Buttonhole Control Knob
6. Zigzag Width Control Knob
7. Needle Position Lever
8. Zigzag Stitch Width Stop
9. Bobbin Winder Cover Door
10. Hand Wheel
11. Cl utch
12. _ Cover Release Buuon
13. Stitch Length Centro!
14. Push Button Reverse
15 . Bobbin Wmdmg Tensi on
16. Drop Feed Buttons
17. Needle Plate
18. Cover Plate
19. Presser Foot
20. Presser Foot Thumb Screw •
21. Needle Clamp
22 . Tension
23. Thread Bar and Face Latch
24. Sew Lite Switch

.I
FEATURES AND PARTS
(Back View)
A ~-
! • ' .
- - -; ' ,. ~n
11 - ~ ~ ., _-!--@
..- ~1-
..r - , :j . ~I
: ; ·
. - ----·-
1 _ 1 I
•
- ~ Fig. 2 J
25. Presser Bar Lif ter
26. Thread Cutter
Tl . Feed
28. Head Hinge Mo unting
Holes
29 . Spool Pins
30. Handle

4
NEEDLE ·THREAD· F ABRIC· STIT CH I NG GUIDE
Machine Silk
Needle Stitches Cotton
Mercerized
or
Fabnc No. Per Inch Thread Thread Nylon
Extremely h eav y 6
10
tarp4uhn. sacking. 4
to · to · H eav y Duty
canvas
duck . etc. 8 30
. -···
--
Hea vy upholstery 8
30
fabnc . ticki ng 3 to to Heavy Duty
denim l ea th ere tte 10 40
... .. --. ··--·--- --- --- ·--- -·--
Medium heavy drapery 10 40
fabric. velveteen. 2 to to Heavy Duty
suiting felt. terry, etc . 12
60
-
..
Medium broadcloth . 12
60
percale. qi n gham , linen. 1
to to
so A
chintz. taffeta. sh eer
14 00
wool. shantuno. etc .
Sh ee r v01le lawn. 14 80
dimity. crepe . to
to
50 A
G 16 100
r.andkerchlel linen. (Plastic film)
plastic film etc . 8
to 10
V er y s :i eer cnilio n,
16
100
batiste. l ace , orQandy,
00 lo to
so A
nlnon, net ., marqulsett e tc . 20 150

I
I /
,L
Fig. 3 WINDING THE
BOBBIN
Fi g. 4
Disengage hand wheel (5, Fig. 3·,. from the stitchi ng mechanism by turning clut ch •. o. Fig. 3\
toward you or counter clockwi se .
Slide latch 4 to the right /Fig. 4) to spring open cover 1.3. Fi g. 4\ of the recesse:l wi nder .
Piece a spool of thread en one of the spool pins. Lead thread throuQh the u;;.·i:,.-r ti:r eaci
gu ide on arm and down through tension disc (9, Fig.5,• al base oi machi ne . Ru11 en.:i o: farea:l
•
Fig. 5
through a hole in bobb in e.:l;,e ,i e.f t flenQe
and from inside ou t) a ::.:i · place bobb in
on sp i nd le of bobbinwinder :7,F ig ..J . flttlnQ
the notch bobbin over smi, 11 p:n on spin•
die . Pus!: bobb in winder aq_ains! hsnd
whee !. Hold thread end loo se ly and start
machi ne slowly.
Bobbin will stop winding when it is
filled. Turn clutch away from you until
seWing mechanism is aga in engaged so
that needle moves when you tum t he hand
whee l.
Break off loo se t hread end used to
start the windi ng and thread bobb in as
stated on Page 6.

6
SETTING THE NEEDLE
See Fig . 6 . na i se the needle b.ir A to its h1;hest
poi n! , turning whee! toward you by hand .
fl u auri•ct
c! ne-eal~
a. : a:1 k
Fig. 6
Then loose n l:le neec.He cla:np sere"'· B a:t:i the
ne edic can be in:erted into cl a .m p C. Place needle
• !la\ si de to ri oht in the · need le clarr.p a:i:! ;;.:;sh 1:
u pwara as 1ar as ,t will go m:o t:-:e ne e ci ie cbrr.p
h ol e, tighten r :.; the needl e cla:n;:, s~re• ... · se::::r e:y
wuh a ~c rew c!nve~.
Aft er changing th e n ee dle malc c one com-
plet e revolution of the balan ce wh eel by
hand lo be s ur e the needl e is in th e co rr ect
position.
THREADING THE BOBBIN CASE
• I
,
St @p l illuitratd m Fig. 8 . Hold bobbfa case betw,een thumb and !oreilnger of left hind ,
so t hat the slot in the edge o! the bobbin case is on t op . Take the bobbin between thumb and
f orefinger of ugM ha :, d so that the thread on t op l eads from left to right .
Step 2 lnsert.l:obbin i nto bobb in case, pull the thread into th e sl ot o: t he bobb~n case 11
shown in Fi; . 9, and draw 1: under t@ns io:, spring and into the fork-s haped ope:ung of the
es shown in F ig . 10
spr i ng
I
I

-·- _, ____ ..
51.DT
F iQ . 8 Fio. 9
PLACING B OB BIN CASE IN SHUTT.LE
Raise needle l:ar to hiQhNt posllfon, a nd sUde cover plate
to the Jel l ( See 18, Fio. 1) Hold the bobbin ca se latch, (D,
Flo. 11 ) bet w een the thumb a nd forefi noer of the left hand .
with at leaat three lnchN of thread runnino from the lop ol
the bobbin cat e to the rloht. Insert and center the bobbin
ca1e on the atud of the ahuttle body, (C) . Be 1ure the
bobbin case finQer, (E) , is opposite the 1huttle ra ce notch \A).
Preas the bobbin case CB ), into the ahuttle as far as possible
until latch catches on the center post of the shuttle . THEN
release the bobbin case latch, (D). Press bobbin C4se aQain
after latch has been'rel ee sed to ma ke sure the bobbin cate
ts locked securely in place. Qose the cover pl a te .
F1; 10
C
F19 11
7

8
UPPER THREADING
1. Tum the ba ldl)ce wheel toword you to rai se
t he take-up le,• er to its hi c;rhest position.
2. Place a spool of thread on the spool pin.
3. Lead th e thread throu9h the upper ann thread
gu i des .
4. Run the threod through the threod guide bar
to the tension discs. th en oround end be-
tween them from· ri ght to left.
5. Drow the threod up through the check sprinc;r
and with o al ! c;rht tug Into the hook. (See
insert. FiQ. l 21
6. Pass the thread under the b.ir and up through
the eye of the toke-up lever from r ight to
left.
7. Leod threod down under b.ir, through the
face plote quldes ond then through the needle
bor guide from the back.
8. Threod needle FROM LEFT TO RlGHT,
drowl ng I~ throuc;rh about 3 or 4 inches.
Hold the end of the uppe r threod loo se ly and
tum the hond wheel towardJou until the needle
goes o il the way do wn an comes back up .
A loop <F ig. 13) will be formed over the
upper thread which then con be pulled out
st ro i 9ht. Place both thread ends und er the
sl ot of the presser foot ond drow toward the
back of the mochlne, leavi ng both threads
three or four Inches long. Fi9
12

F icr, 13
Flo. 14
SEI !ING THE STITCH LENGTH
The :•::~:~. c: !i:e s !1tcb. 1s requ late ::! by t he di al, shown in Fig. 14 . NHr O 1s th e sh ortHI
su:-::: d:l'C: 5 ::; ::ie ion9ec:, but the ch al may be set a: a ny apo: be t ween the markmq s ior a
vane:·: c: :.,:-.;::i:. ':'1.:r:: :h e p1al 10 the ught to l engthen a nd to :he left to shcrten th e stitch.
The r.-.::r.i:e~ ::::c:-. i ength you cl:oose is indicat ed by the pointer .
· STITCH LENGTH CHART (APPROXIMATE)
0 1 2 3 4 5
Numher o: s h:ch• s pe: i::ch 30 25 15 8 6
SEWING IN REVERSE
Wher. ycu wish to !tW backwud to tie th e thr eads al th e beginning or en d of a seam, press
,n the l;,Hton R. fig . 14, as far as it will go. The ma-:hme w ill sew .backward as lo:,g as the
l:;utton 1; hel:l in.
9

10
ADJUSTING THE TENSIONS
Always ad just the upper tension with the presser fool down,
as the tension is releesed when it is raised. To inc rease the
tension' on the up;,e: tnrea.:i. turn ° dial (Fig. 15 ) to the right , or
c!ockv:i se ; to decrease . t.1:--r. to the left. The higher the number
en the d ie t !ne it gh,e: the tensi on . Before ad justi ng · l ower t ens ion
be su:e that the ma chine is thre adeci properly .
Vihen it is r.ecessarr io chan ge the bobb in tension: turn
the small screw IF1g . 17J on sicie of th e bobb in case cloc kwise lo
t!gh,en . counterclockwise to looser..
,hS-4\Q
Fi g. 16B
When th!! upper and under tensions are properly
balanced, a perfect stitch will be formed wi th both
threads interlocking in fabric fig . 16-A .
When the upper tension is too tight , the lower
thread is pull ed up over the upper ihre.l:! which is
lying fla! on the fabric 'Fig. 16-B "· .
When the upper tension is too loose, the upper
thread forms loops over the lower thread 1 ying Hat
on the fabric { fig . 16-C .
Fig . 15
Fiq . 16C
Fig. 17 ..
.....

\.
_ • ., _.._.. . I ' .• 1 1,1: e I • .-.-_..; :::..._ :,_.:.. .. _. -- ~• • - - •• ., ,___ , ___ _ _ - - - - - • -
11
ADJUSTING PRESSURE AND FEEDING OF FABRIC
GENERAL SEWING. Usually for straight sewing and vari ous embroidery w ork, the pressure
bar cap or darni ng release( Fio . 19 1is at its lowest position and the feed at its highest lev el with
the drop feed button marked UP pressed all the wa y down (Fio . 18 ).
SEW IN G THIN OR LIGHT WEI GHT FABRICS
W hen light er pre\sure is required to se w sati sfactorily on thin
s il k or flhr.sy materi al , th e pressure cap should be a bout halfway
down. Rel ease all the way by pressi ng the snap lock(A, Fig.
20 1ond then press cap B down aga in to half-way spo t. Lower
the feed shqh tly by pre11 ing th e DOWN button ( Fig . 18 ,1 to the
zed line.
-..,.. ,.
Fig . 19
DARNI NG AND MENDING
In order to move the fabric freely In any
direction for darning and mending, re lease
the pressure cap B completely by pressing
down on the sn ap l oc k ( A , Fig. 20 ). Press
DOWN button ( Fie;, . 18 ) a ll t he wa y do wn,
whi ch drops the feed well below the needle
plate. To return feed to normal, press the
UP button all the way down .
I
.,.. .. , ..
. ;. , ~"~·
\· ~ '
x. _ct
. ,..i :
•••~ .:-::.)° .... _ _ :,;. 3:,
Fto . 18
Flq. 20

l::?
PREPARING TO SEW
Have tal:e- ;,:p le·, er at hi ghest point before ,tarting to sew. Do no t try to he lp the feeding
by pulling the rr.a t erial as this may deflect the needle and c:ause It to break .
NEVER r;.:;- . ma::h1n. withou: material uncier presse: ioo:.
Placo t ::11 ! c: r :a, a r: d ti:1e11ci; •~ pos .1tl on under the press~r :oo! anci l owe: th e presnr :oct. You
.ire r: ow re~u:: ;;) r. ~v:n ~ew:r:;;. By ha·,ir:g :h e needle a: ! :s hi qhes: po::::, :: 1s n c: necessary
to touc!l foe ::ad wheel t::l s:ar: the r:ia::lu ne . Yoi: mere :y pre n the ccr:::;,!. 7 he speed oi the
ma ::::::• 1: re; :::~ :, :! i:.:- · :::: r en: r:g c: de::teasi ng the a::: ;, ;;:: : o: pressure exene :i or. the c:or.troL
, .
1'
1
1'
·- •·-~
·· ----- .
t!.
Fig. 21A
V
r REMOVING
TH E WORK
=~ 1-.;re : :> s to p ! :': e ::-- .o :!:: e.e
w ;"' .,,~ !~~ ! =:.rea:! :• i: e -:: p l• ·: er
a::.i :.,:~:::~ :.:~ :- ~re c1: : he ~ :c;h est
P"" :: :;c:- ..
r ;: • .-.- :.,::c : :l e p:es s4l : !c ot
a r. ci ci =a· .· .- : ::. ':' : .. ,C:1= i:3:- ~: anci to
the l o:' : .:' :: !. :1 ;\. .i: :: E, u~ :i pass
the t :':r~ .t:O: .:.: :.·:~r the l~? c.-a :: c :.: aer.
ii::, .:~· .- ::: sh g:1 :i: :, nold1 ng .
threa ':: ::: ! :! h ha~':s. s:, as not .._ ..,..~.,. '-
• • .1. • "
to i:.e::. .:: :::~ ~ecdle. - ., .,., \. - - - · ~
Leave the en ds o! thre.1ci un-Fig. 21B
der the pr esser :oo:.

" - --- -
g
-- ·- ·-- -· -.. ..
STRAIGHT STITCHING
F or • tralqht • ewinq on fine faerie or very soft• ma -
ter i al , you n:ay want to u10 the straiqht • titch pre11er
f oot a nd the straiqht stitch needle pl ate which are in-
clud ed in y our a ccenc ry box . ~th h ave narrow needle _
slot •. .
Changing the Preuer F oot a nd Needle Plate :
fl ) PreaHr Foot
(A) Looaen. thumb screw (20, F ig . 1) a :id
remove z iq" zaq pres • er foot.
(B) Rep l ace with straight stitch presser foot,
( Fiq . 22A ).
<2) N"dle Plate
(A) Slide cover plate ( 18, Flq . l ) to the left as
far as possible .
( B ) Remove screw, holdinq needle plate ( 17 ,
Fig. l • to bed plate .
(C l Remove zlgzaq needle plate .
( D ) Replace with straight 1t!tch needle plate
22B .
Be 1ure t he machine control• are • et Ill follows or vou
will break the needle.
il) Butt onhol e control knob"A~ set at 0
,2 • Zigzag Stitch Wicth control knob "B ", HI at 0
{3 • Decorative Stitch Dia!"C,"• et kr straight stltchi nq .
•·- -_ .....,...,..--~----- --
:3
Fiq . 22- A
Fig. 22 -B
f ig . ;.!:,

l+
DECORATIVE STITCH DESIGN PATTERNS
Be sure the zigag pr esser foot and neecla1 phte are ir: p:,s,tion.
To sew the decorative design patt erns illustrated on the Decorative Stitch Dial (Fig. 24) set the
machine as foll o ws :
(1) Set decorative stitch dial at the design pattern ycu desi re by to.1m i:: g zigzag wi dth contrcJ
to the right as far as it.will go and held while turni ng de corative stitc:: d\aL
( 2) Set buttonhole control knob at 0. (Fig. 23)
(3 ) Set stitch length control as close to O as po ssible without stopping foe lee:iinQ i or a ve :y
compsct des ign. By i ncressing the feed t he design will be lon,er but no t qu i te ro
compact.
t, ) Select needle FOSition by movinQ Nee:::lte Position Leve~ to des i re::! po zili on (L or C or
R ). (Fig. 25)
Rv:?
==~ =;;;:j' •' ?u
LCR
Fi g. 25
Fig. 24

y l C
--- =l
Fi1. 26 .
PATTERN DESIGNS
\
For p!!rlect repro:iuctlons of Illus trated s'.itch des l qn s, set ne !! d,e posltlcnlr.g lever in
the "R" p::>1ltlon.
De st qns are distorted slightly In the C and L pos itions.
15
R

16
- -- · . . ___ .,. ·-- -- -- -·
BLIND STITCH HEM
(1 ) Set stitch lengt h control at nuaber 5 or 4.
(2 ) Set zi gzag stitch wid th &Dd buttonhole control knobs at O.
(5 ) Set decorative stitch dial at blind stitch design .
r4 > Set need.le position lever at R. ( Fig . 26 )
C5 ) Set zi gzag width cont r ol to su1t , mate rial be i ng sewn .
The higher the nu • ber the wider the sidewise stitch . .
B li nd stitch hem• prov i de a durable hem linisb that la almost inv isi ble and comparab 1•
to band Hwing .
Prepaze the garment in the aame manner H for hand hemm i ng .
STEP
1
STEP
3
Fig. ':.7
ST EP
4
COMPLETED
:
St•p 1. II h•m wi th folded edge la uaed , make lint fold ~ii " dHp .
Step 2. Turn hem to depth desired and baste ¼" from upper edge . Pr••• into place .
Step 3. Fold hem back toward right aide of garment leaving l.i" extended .
Step 4. Place garm•nt undu pr-, foot and aew blind hem .
..... ····- ·- . _.., _____ __ _____ __ _ I
I_

CREATIVE EMBROIDERY
Be au. re zigzag preuer foot and zigzag needle plate are in place .
To stit ch continu o usly at one width of zigug stitching, • et zigzag stitch width atop
.
Z (Fi g. 23) by tu .m ing zigzag width control bob D to desired • etting and preas
lock Z. This will lock the control knob in position .
To release zigzag widt .h control knob D just preu lo ck Z and c ontro l kn ob will
spring back to 0.
Set a r hy thm for youraelf a nd then pr oceed . Af ter
a while you w ill become qu it e skillfu l, vary i ng your
de • igna by the • peed of the machine , stitch length,
an d manipulation of the zi gzag control knob.
SAMPLES OF CREATIVE EMBROIDERY
Fiq. 28
13
SIii
rd
*
A. Sew a few 1titchH at 5 width, then allow lcnob Fig. 28
to 1pring back to O for a abort period . Count, if necusary,
to establish a rhythm.
B. Set atop at 2 then m ove knob slowly back and forth between numbers 2 and 5.
17
E
C. Set atop at l. Gradually move knob from l to 5, allowing i! t:> rnap back q uickly .
D. Set zigzag s ti tch wi dth stop at 4, stit ch length at l ½. Do , few z1gzaq sh1ch e1 , drop
feed for 3 or 4 atitchH, then raise It again . By operating the fNd knob rhy: hm1ca ll y 11 is not
necessary to count stitches.

18
E. Drop feed. set stitch width lock at 5, take 3 or 4 stitches. leave needle in fabric left of
stitches. Pivot fabric on needle to make next daisy petal. Continue until flower desion is com.
plete. Lock threads by setti ng stitch width at O and taklnq 3 or 4 stitchee in center of dealQn_
EMBROIDERING WITH A HOOP
It is eas y to follow a stamped desion or to
-work free hand when en:broldering or n:onoQl'am
Im;. ( :ee Fic;i . 2~i. Release the pre1111ure from
the foot by presslnc;i down on the snap loc!t rfnQ
darner. Pi.: sh the. drop feed b i.: tt. on down all the
way.
Stretch the fabric in an embroidery hoop , and
place under the needle a£ter removlnc;i the presser
foot. Set the stitch width at the size you prefer Flq . 29
and lower the presser bar lifter. Then operate the
machine at a rather hlc;ih 1peed while movlnQ the
hoop slowly w it h both hands . Work carefully and be sure to keep finqers out of the path of
the needle.
Should you encounter skip stitch es , the fabric Is not stretched tic;iht enouqh or a daminc;i SPrinc;i
Is needed ( see attachments available from }" our dealer illustrated in the back of this book ).
DARN OR MONOGRAM WITHOUT HOOP
If you wish to dam or monoqram witho 'J t embroidery hoop . leave 21 QZ4Q presser foot in
place , release all press u re on presser foot, set stitch lenqth at 0, . set zic;izac;i stitch width to 111 Jt,
and leave feed In sewlnq position.
When darninQ or monoqraminq In this manner, the fabric must be held ta ut or skipped
stitches will be encountered.