A sewing machine is a machine used to stitch fabric and other materials together withthread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the invention of the first working sewing

machine, generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790,[1] the sewing machine has greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of the clothing industry.

History and development[edit source | editbeta]

Woman using a treadle sewing machine manufactured by Singer.

In 1790 English inventor Thomas Saint was the first to patent a design for a sewing machine but he did

not advertise his invention.[2] It was meant for leather and canvas. It is likely that Saint had a working

model but there is no evidence of one; he was a skilled cabinet maker and included many practically

functional features: an overhanging arm, a feed mechanism (adequate for short lengths of leather), a

vertical needle bar, and a looper. (In 1874 a sewing machine manufacturer, William Newton Wilson, found

Saint's drawings in the London Patent Office, made adjustments to the looper, and built a working

machine, currently owned by theLondon Science Museum.)

An Austrian tailor Josef Madersperger began developing the first sewing machine in 1807. He presented

the first working machine in 1814. In 1830 Barthélemy Thimonnier, a French tailor, patented a sewing

machine that sewed straight seams using chain stitch. By 1841, Thimonnier had a factory of 80 machines

sewing uniforms for the French Army.[3] The factory was destroyed by rioting French tailors afraid of losing

their livelihood. Thimonnier had no further success with his machine.

The first American lockstitch sewing machine was invented by Walter Hunt in 1832.[4] His machine used

an eye-pointed needle (with the eye and the point on the same end) carrying the upper thread and a

falling shuttle carrying the lower thread. The curved needle moved through the fabric horizontally, leaving

the loop as it withdrew. The shuttle passed through the loop, interlocking the thread. The feed let the

machine down, requiring the machine to be stopped frequently and reset up. Hunt eventually lost interest

in his machine and sold it without bothering to patent it.

Elias Howe's lockstitch machine, invented 1845

In 1842, John Greenough patented the first sewing machine in the United States. Elias Howe, born in

Spencer, Massachusetts, created his sewing machine in 1845, using a similar method to Hunt's, except

the fabric was held vertically. The major improvement he made was to have the needle running away

from the point, starting from the eye. After a lengthy stint in England trying to attract interest in his

machine he returned to America to find various people infringing his patent, among them Isaac Merritt

Singer.[5] He eventually won a case against patent infringement in 1854 and was awarded the right to

claim royalties from the manufacturers using ideas covered by his patent, including Singer.

Singer treadle sewing machine

Trained as an engineer, Singer saw a rotary sewing machine being repaired in a Boston shop. He thought

it to be clumsy and promptly set out to design a better one. His machine used a falling shuttle instead of a

rotary one; the needle was mounted vertically and included a presser foot to hold the cloth in place. It had

a fixed arm to hold the needle and included a basic tensioning system. This machine combined elements

of Thimonnier's, Hunt's, and Howe's machines. He was granted an American patent in 1851 and it was

suggested he patent the foot pedal (or treadle) used to power some of his machines; however, it had

been in use for too long for a patent to be issued. When Howe learned of Singer's machine he took him to

court. Howe won and Singer was forced to pay a lump sum for all machines already produced. Singer

then took out a license under Howe's patent and paid him $1.15 per machine. Singer then entered a joint

partnership with a lawyer named Edward Clark. They established the firsthire-purchase scheme to allow

people to buy their machines through payments over time.

Meanwhile Allen B. Wilson had developed a shuttle that reciprocated ("vibrated") in a short arc, which

was an improvement over Singer's and Howe's. However, John Bradshaw had patented a similar device

and was threatening to sue. Wilson decided to try a new method. He went into partnership with Nathaniel

Wheeler to produce a machine with a rotary hook instead of a shuttle. This was far quieter and smoother

than the other methods, and the Wheeler and Wilson Company produced more machines in 1850s and

1860s than any other manufacturer. Wilson also invented the four-motion feed mechanism; this is still

seen on every machine today. This had a forward, down, back, and up motion, which drew the cloth

through in an even and smooth motion. Charles Miller patented the first machine to stitch buttonholes.[6] Through the 1850s more and more companies were being formed and were trying to sue each other.

This triggered a patent thicket known as the Sewing Machine War.[7]

In 1856 the Sewing Machine Combination was formed, consisting of Singer, Howe, Wheeler, Wilson,

Grover and Baker. These four companies pooled their patents, meaning that all the other manufacturers

had to obtain a license and pay $15 per machine. This lasted until 1877 when the last patent expired.

James Edward Allen Gibbs (1829–1902), a farmer from Raphine in Rockbridge County, Virginia patented

the first chain-stitch single-thread sewing machine on June 2, 1857. In partnership with James Willcox,

Gibbs became a principal in Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company. Willcox & Gibbs commercial

sewing machines are still used in the 21st century.

Jones Family CS machine from around (1935)

William Jones started making sewing machines in 1859 and in 1860 formed a partnership with Thomas

Chadwick. As Chadwick & Jones they manufactured sewing machines at Ashton-under-Lyne until 1863.

Their machines used designs from Howe and Wilson produced under licence.[8] Thomas Chadwick later

joined Bradbury & Co. William Jones opened a factory in Guide Bridge, Manchester in 1869.[9] In 1893 a

Jones advertising sheet claimed that this factory was the "Largest Factory in England Exclusively Making

First Class Sewing Machines".[10] The firm was renamed as the Jones Sewing Machine Co. Ltd and was

later acquired by Brother Industries of Japan, in 1968.[11]

c

Stitch formation

2.1 Lockstitch

2.2 Chainstitch

2.3 Overlock

2.4 Zigzag stitch

2.5 Coverstitch

Hand sewing is an art form that is over 20,000 years old. The first sewing needles were made of bones or animal horns and the first thread was made of animal sinew. Iron needles were invented in the 14th century. The first eyed needles appeared in the 15th century.

Birth of Mechanical Sewing

The first possible patent connected to mechanical sewing was a 1755 British patent issued to German,

Charles Weisenthal. Weisenthal was issued a patent for a needle that was designed for a machine,

however, the patent did not describe the rest of the machine if one existed.

Several Inventors Attempt to Improve Sewing

The English inventor and cabinet maker, Thomas Saint was issued the first patent for a complete machine for sewing in 1790. It is not known if Saint actually built a working prototype of his invention. The patent describes an awl that punched a hole in leather and passed a needle through the hole. A later reproduction of Saint's invention based on his patent drawings did not work.

In 1810, German, Balthasar Krems invented an automatic machine for sewing caps. Krems did not

patent his invention and it never functioned well.

Austrian tailor, Josef Madersperger made several attempts at inventing a machine for sewing and was

issued a patent in 1814. All of his attempts were considered unsuccessful.

In 1804, a French patent was granted to Thomas Stone and James Henderson for "a machine that

emulated hand sewing." That same year a patent was granted to Scott John Duncan for an

"embroidery machine with multiple needles." Both inventions failed and were soon forgotten by the

public.

In 1818, the first American sewing machine was invented by John Adams Doge and John Knowles. Their

machine failed to sew any useful amount of fabric before malfunctioning.

Barthelemy Thimonnier - First Functional Machine & a Riot

The first functional sewing machine was invented by the French tailor, Barthelemy Thimonnier, in

1830. Thimonnier's machine used only one thread and a hooked needle that made the same chain

stitch used with embroidery. The inventor was almost killed by an enraged group of French tailors who

burnt down his garment factory because they feared unemployment as a result of his new invention.

Walter Hunt & Elias Howe

In 1834, Walter Hunt built America's first (somewhat) successful sewing machine. He later lost interest in patenting because he believed his invention would cause unemployment. (Hunt's machine could only sew straight steams.) Hunt never patented and in 1846, the first American patent was issued to Elias Howe for "a process that used thread from two different sources."

Elias Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point. The needle was pushed through the cloth

and created a loop on the other side; a shuttle on a track then slipped the second thread through the

loop, creating what is called the lockstitch. However, Elias Howe later encountered problems defending

his patent and marketing his invention.

For the next nine years Elias Howe struggled, first to enlist interest in his machine, then to protect his

patent from imitators. His lockstitch mechanism was adopted by others who were developing

innovations of their own. Isaac Singer invented the up-and-down motion mechanism, and Allen Wilson

developed a rotary hook shuttle.

Isaac Singer Vs Elias Howe - Patent Wars

Sewing machines did not go into mass production until the 1850's, when Isaac Singer built the first commercially successful machine. Singer built the first sewing machine where the needle moved up and down rather than the side-to-side and the needle was powered by a foot treadle. Previous machines were all hand-cranked. However, Isaac Singer's machine used the same lockstitch that Howe had patented. Elias Howe sued Isaac Singer for patent infringement and won in 1854. Walter Hunt's sewing machine also used a lockstitch with two spools of thread and an eye-pointed needle; however, the courts upheld Howe's patent since Hunt had abandoned his patent.

If Hunt had patented his invention, Elias Howe would have lost his case and Isaac Singer would have

won. Since he lost, Isaac Singer had to pay Elias Howe patent royalties. As a side note: In 1844,

Englishmen John Fisher received a patent for a lace making machine that was identical enough to the

machines made by Howe and Singer that if Fisher's patent had not been lost in the patent office, John

Fisher would also have been part of the patent battle.

After successfully defending his right to a share in the profits of his invention, Elias Howe saw his

annual income jump from three hundred to more than two hundred thousand dollars a year. Between

1854 and 1867, Howe earned close to two million dollars from his invention. During the Civil War, he

donated a portion of his wealth to equip an infantry regiment for the Union Army and served in the

regiment as a private.

A Brief History of the Sewing Machine

"One of the few useful things ever invented"

Mahatma Gandhi

Home of the Sewalot Site 

By Alex I Askaroff  

For antique and vintage sewing machines 

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Sewing Machine Fault Finder                     Sewing Machine Tension Problems

A Brief History of the Sewing MachineWithout the boring bits

By Alex I AskaroffIndex page                                                                           Little Worker

Sewing Machine

      

   Alex I Askaroff Alex has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry and is considered one of the foremost experts of pioneering machines and their inventors. He has written extensively for trade magazines, radio, television, books and publications world wide. 

See me on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-NVWFkm0sA&list=UL

 

 

A Brief History of the Sewing Machine

"One of the few useful things ever invented"

Mahatma GandhiSo, who invented the sewing machine! People are always asking me? It's a great story. Put the kettle on, make a nice cuppa and read all about it. I will take you on a brief and interesting history tour of one of the most useful inventions of the 19th century.

 1801

Here it is, eighteen oh one, Me 'ousework now has all been done.

I'll drag out my piecework, to make a bob, Sit me down, before the hob.

Turn the chair, to get the light, Sew what I can, before the night!,

Here in the village, there's six of us, Work needle and thread, our hands all callus!We get brought the cloth, all cut out, in red, We connects it all, by pulling thick thread.The red dye, when the cloth is fresh, mind,

Stains our hands likewise, we find.

We don't get paid much, we all gripes,But if I don't sew, me 'usband stripes

Me back wiv 'is belt! And , Oh, that 'urts,I think I'd rather sew some shirts!'E 'as no bleedin' pity in 'im, see?

Drinks all the money earned by me!

Copyright Rob Van De Laak 2013

By the middle of the Victorian Era sewing machines were taking hold but before that period all fabric would have been joined by hand, every single stitch. The method hardly changes since stone age times. Clothes were slow and timely to produce and cost a lot of money, even the thread cost a fortune. Factories around the world were employing people (mainly women because they were better at it) to sew all day long. I once heard that a factory in America employed over 3,000 women sewing by hand. As the population of our planet exploded and the Industrial revolution took hold someone had to come up with a solution of how to join two pieces of fabric quicker and cheaper than by hand. This in turn led to a fascinating trail of invention and failure. Some inventors died in poverty some became richer beyond all their dreams. One man, Isaac Singer, became famous. His name is still one of the most well known names all over the world.

So how did it all begin?

Sewing machine manufacture started slowly and was constantly interrupted. In 50 years from 1846 the sewing machine went from a circus attraction to a necessity for every household. By the year 1900 over 20 million sewing machines a year were being produced from factories all over the world. It is true to say that no single invention was as eagerly accepted by people in all four corners of the planet as the humble sewing machine.

Everyone knew whoever invented a good sewing machine would become rich. Isaac Singer and Elias Howe were two of the first men to become amazingly wealthy from their

sewing machines.

Stitch ! stitch ! stitch !

With fingers weary and worn,With eyelids heavy and red,

A woman sat in unwomanly rags,Plying her needle and threadYet still, with a voice of sweet

pitchWished its tone could reach the

Rich !For in poverty, hunger and dirt,She sang the Song of the Shirt

So who actually invented the sewing machine?

Was it the Germans who invented the sewing machine? They think they did. Was it the French? Yep, they know it was them. How about the British! We invented everything. Didn’t we? The Chinese? In their 5,000 plus-year history and all that silk, they must have invented it...No! How about the Egyptians and all their cotton! No hieroglyphics of sewing machines discovered yet!

The truth is many nations can claim that they invented the humble sewing machine, read on...

What we have to do is look at the facts that we know at present. There is no saying that the facts we have today are written in stone and that some Russian won’t crawl out of the Siberian wastelands clutching a wood and ivory sewing machine made by great Uncle Ivan.

Even back as early as the Elizabethan Period and later in the time of King Charles I, in the 1640's, people were applying for early patents or royal letters of protection and monopolies for weird and wonderful mechanisms. However we have no firm proof of the machines and as poor old Charlie came a croper we shall never know. In 1649 they removed his head! His hand stitched and blood stained shirt is on display at Longleat.

So we had better go by proven dates. The first inventor of the sewing machine that we can be sure of was patented in England in 1755. Yes! Come-on-England. Where did I put my flag!

Charles Weisenthal 1755?

Charles Weisenthal

One Charles Weisenthal (Ok, so he was German, but, he was in England) took out a patent for a needle to be used for mechanical sewing. Unfortunately, what sort of mechanical sewing we do not know for a description of the machine was not properly mentioned in the patent.

Thomas Saint

Back once more in England, in 1790, Sorry America, Thomas Saint really cracked it. Not only did he patent a sewing machine but also he provided enough plans that a replica could be built. British Patent No. 1764 was awarded to Thomas Saint, a London cabinetmaker.

Due to several other patents dealing with leather and products to treat leather, the patent was filed under "Glues & Varnishes" and was not discovered until 1873/4 when the British sewing machine pioneer, Newton Wilson, was researching his history of the sewing machine. He stumbled upon Thomas Saint's chain stitch machine and was amazed. He actually built a working model using Saint's patent drawings and a few modifications.

An early 1860 woodcut of the Newton Wilson Family sewing machine.

Though the exact replica of Saint's machine did not sew people often patent things with great urgency to protect their inventions. Also patents are rarely the exact final product that comes onto the market. In the case of Thomas Saint a few minor modifications were made to his machine and it sewed like a dream. There is no doubt he would have made these modifications.

Note the case of Elijah Grey! He should be a household name but I bet you have never heard of him? Let me tell you why. Elijah was beaten to the patent office by a few hours by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell went on to patent the talking wire, Elijah went home in tears and faded into oblivion.

In fact recent discoveries have shown that many people actually filed slightly altered patents to stop industrial espionage. Copies

of patents were valuable and often sold to the highest bidder. Saintmay have even deliberately filed a patent that he knew would not work to protect his main ideas while he perfected his machine!

A Thomas Saint replica 

So now we know that Saint's patent needed some modification to sew but I have no doubt he would have performed the modifications if he could have so we must give him brownie points for effort though no points for giving up early. Perhaps he had an urgent cabinet to finish?

The modified replica above does sew! Mind you weird looking or what! Can't see that catching on in a hurry. It looks more like some printing press or medieval instrument of torture.

But I have to say, yeehaaa… Another first for England, along with cricket, golf, rugby, soccer, snooker and my favourite…Afternoon

tea—promptly at four with cucumber and salmon sandwiches.

Thomas Stone

In 1804 we go to France where Thomas Stone, (not a particularly French name) had patented a machine that we know nothing about…Yet!

That must have been a good year as we have two other gentlemen on the scene, a James Henderson and a canny Scot, and Mr Duncan, for an embroidery machine. Again, nothing has come to light about their machines but we live in hope.

Baltasar Krem's hat making machine

Baltasar Krems

Around 1810 in Germany, Baltasar Krems made a sewing machine for sewing hats and caps. Because old Balt did not patent his design we cannot be sure of the exact dates but we do know he was German, yavol! I have a sneaky suspicion this was more of a knitting machine anyway! Apparently in Krems there is a bust of the great inventor and there is a replica of his machine in Krems

and in the Deutsches Museum.

Josef Madersperger

Now across the border to the land of snitchzel, googlhump’s and leaderhosen...Austria.

The year is 1814, Napoleon is about to meet his Waterloo and Josef Madersperger, a humble tailor is building the first of several machines.

Although he had been working on his machine since 1807 it was not until 1815 that he was granted patent rights on his model.

Josef Madersperger died a pauper in a Vienna poorhouse

He had tried in vain for years to get his machine right and in 1839 he almost cracked it and in 1841 his machine was awarded a bronze medal but could not find a manufacturer to take it on.

Josef had invested every penny in his invention and spent his whole life working on it. However he was still making the same old mistake trying to make his machines copy the hand movement of

sewing girls.

Josef's ill-fated and highly complex machine

Eventually Josef gave his model away and a few years later, in 1850, he died a pauper in the poor house in Vienna. Sounds tragic but dying rich ain’t no picnic either!

He is still held by the Germans as the inventor of the sewing machine. They even have a statue of him.

Hold on I hear you shouting! What about America! Well at last, we come to the home of the braveand the land of the free.

John Knowles

In 1818 John Knowles and his partner, Dodge, strap on your guns boys! Made a sewing machine. It really stitches! But there is a catch! Isn’t there always! The machine will only stitch a few inches of cloth before the cloth has to be taken out and reset. What a waste of time. Much faster to still carry on hand sewing, so chuck that in the bin!

At this rate it looks as if no one is going to figure out the first piece of engineering to enter the domestic household. But we have not finished, the wheels of the industrial revolution are turning and great minds are at work.

Henry Lye

In 1826, Henry Lye of Philadelphia, PA, patented a sewing machine of sorts but fire destroyed the patent office and his invention. Don’t worry there is more fire coming up!

We now skip back over the ocean to France, home of frogs legs, brie and snail snacks. I bet their buffets are fun!

Barthelemy Thimonnier

In 1829-30 the first real sewing machine that we know of was born. Barthelemy Thimonnier (I'm going to call him Bart now as it makes my head hurt spelling his name) took out a patent for a barbed needled to be used in his sewing machine.

 

Bart's wooden machine was not a hit with the French tailors.

The machine, made of wood, actually worked, producing a chain stitch, you know the sort of stitch you find across potato sacks. In fact it worked so well that he gained a contract to build loads of them. They were used to sew uniforms for the French army. Below is his American patent application many years later.

 United States Patent OfficePatent 7622 September 3 1850

Be it known that I, Barthélemy Thimonnier, Aine, of Amplepuis, Department of Du

Rhone, in the Republic of France, a citizen of France. Have invented or discovered new

and useful improvement to the sewing machine for the forming of stitches in

fabrics.

Before long Bart was sewing away with dozens of machines taking work from the hungry tailors of Paris. We all know what Frenchmen are like when their blood is up. Madame Guillotine was still warm from their revolution. In 1831it all came to a ahead at

his workshop in Rue de Sevres where 80 of his wooden machines were busily sewing away.

The angry tailors, now out of work because of the modern machine gathered outside Bart's premises and stormed in.

At first they threw garlic at the machines but to their amazement they bounced off!

They decided to have a booze up and torch Bart’s workshop. The crowd watched as poor old Bart headed for the hills, his business in flames.

Bart, unperturbed and with that usual French resilience, started all over again with an even better model. Nevertheless, those sneaky tailors knew what he was up to and set about the poor fellow, this time with far more powerful weapons, strings of onions!

Barthelemy Thimonnier

Bart fled to England just like the many aristocrats that had feared for their lives during the French Revolution years earlier. Where was the Scarlet Pimpernel when he was needed eh!

Bart flogged his patents to a company in Manchester but never regained his former success and although he had made the first reasonable sewing

machine it did not stop the poor old tailor ending up like his Austrian counter part. Poor old Bart died in poverty in Amplepuis on the 5th of August 1857.

I have a much fuller or in-depth history of Barthelemy Thimonnier on his own page.

We have to step back a little and ask ourselves why were so many workmen afraid of machines. Well it all boiled down to jobs. They had no idea that the industry they were destroying would actually end up employing untold numbers of workmen across the globe. The fact is, like many of us today, they feared change.

To make things worse for poor old Bart he probably witnessed the birth of the real sewing machine industry as when he died in 1857

many of the major inventors had produced practical sewing machines and made loads of dosh from them.

However, we are jumping ahead. I do hope you are enjoying the history so far.

Newton and Archibold

In 1841 Newton and Archibold, in England, designed a chain-stitch machine employing an eye-pointed needle, little else is known of their invention. No fun there, I am missing those French tailors already!

So where do we go now, Japan, no, India…Could be! No, we are off to America, la-la-la-laa-America. Where’s my hotdog and mayo!

The John James Greenough machine of 1842

John James Greenough

In 1842 John James Greenough, patented a sewing machine with a stitch forming mechanism. It had a device for presenting work onto a double pointed needle with an eye in the middle! How weird is that! I bet he pricked his fingers a few times!

Frank Goulding

In 1843, Dr Frank Goulding of Macon, Georgia also created a

sewing device but once again he failed to develop it, as did Walter Hunt.You'll read a little about him later and he has his own page.

What a lot of failures we have in our story! No wonder no one trusted Singer's invention when he tried to sell it…Oop’s now I given the story away!

We are getting close to the real inventors so stay with us…

The problem is that no one has yet invented a machine that was much good and they all looked like medieval torture instruments until Walter Hunt.

On the right is a machine from 1850, you can see what I mean, who could use such a monster!

It looks like the machine has eaten its operator with just her petticoat showing.

But times are-a-changing and below is a picture of Walter's machine.

For the first time we see a machine that we can recognise as a sewing machine. One that can be sold to every household.

Things are looking, up especially in America where the inventor of the Safety Pin was hard at work in his basement.

 

The first American inventor of a sewing machine that actually works! But they are still trying to copy the

movement of the human hand.

 

Walter Hunt

Walter Hunt is in his basement. He is arguing with his daughter. Walter has made a sewing machine that produces a lockstitch. What is more it is not the old fangled type that tried to copy the movements of the human hand. It is a brand new design that really works. It even had two spools of thread. The year is 1834.

       

                         Walter Hunt's improved sewing machine patent        Walter Hunt the

inventive genius I have his own page. Walter Hunt.

Don’t forget threads had been around for centuries before the sewing machine. Have you not read myhistory of thread? Shame on you! Even sewing threads had to be modified to be used on sewing machines.

His machine took two spools of thread and a needle that looks similar to the ones we use today. It produces a lockstitch. It’s only drawback was short seams. Look on the positive side, it would have been great for dolls clothes!

Walter’s daughter is giving him an ear bashing in the basement. Does he not realise how many women will be put out of work if he patents his sewing monster! People will starve in the streets!

Eventually Walter gives in and leaves his invention to gather dust. Little did he realise that firstly, he would actually create endless jobs for workers as sewing machines made clothes cheaper and more available to the masses. But also, he would have become rich in the process. Then he would have been able to send his aggravating daughter to Swiss finishing school.

Walter Hunt was a prolific inventor and must have had mixed feeling about people because he also invented a repeating rifle!

Still, Walter disappears from our story. He does reappear patenting an improved model of his earlier invention in 1854 (some 20 years after he first developed it) but it is all way too late by then. He also appeared in many court cases between several of the larger sewing machine characters all bluffing their way through court, but that’s a long way off. If you read my history on Isaac Singer you can see what part he played and the devious tricks Isaac got up to.

Walter Hunt will always be remembered not for the sewing machine but for another point in history. He invented the safety pin! See what I did there! 

Mind you, he also invented a sort of cure all life preserver tonic. Probably early Wild West snake oil. Best forget about that. So let us finish with this colourful character and get back to business. 

John Fisher

In 1844, back in England, John Fisher patented a lace-making machine that sewed. However, the patent was misfiled and John did not pursue his invention.

Elias Howe

The year 1844 was a good year for in America a young farmer was about to shake the sewing world.

Elias Howe finished his machine in 1844 and patented it a year or so later. A Massachusetts farmer, Elias went on to become one of the richest men in the world and then his wealth disappeared as quick as snow in summer.

Howe's 1846 patent. It does not look much like a sewing machine!

I have a great page on Elias Howe. It only took 30 years to write. Elias Howe

Elias tried in vain to sell his contraption, it had no takers in America. The poor farmer had spent months perfecting a machine that once again copied a hand movement. However he had several good ideas that were similar to Hunt's and took the precaution of patenting them.

He travelled to England where his brother, Amasa, had found a possible purchaser and backer. All this ended in tears and a disappointment, Elias headed home.

On arriving back in America he found things had changed. Much like the computer industry today, a year can be a long time, with new developments taking place almost weekly.

Elias found that in his absence sewing machines had hit the big time. Dozens of sewing machine companies had sprung up and many of them were using his patents! Especially his clever needle with the long groove in it to protect the sewing thread that kept unravelling and snapping.

Isaac Merritt Singer

Elias went ballistic, suing everyone he could, including our most famous sewing machine entrepreneur, Isaac Singer. Isaac, in 1850, had won a bet, So he say's, to make a better sewing machine than what was available on the market. It was patented in 1851 and changed the world.

Have you read my work of art? The brief history of Isaac Singer? Well why not? Do it this instant! He was as bad as Leroy Brown the baddest man in whole damn town.

Elias Howe was poor at selling his sewing machine but brill in court he must have had good lawyers. He made a fortune. He made two fortunes, not from producing sewing machines but suing everyone that did.

In addition, those he did not sue he charged a ridiculous licence fee, just like the BBC does to us here in England.

Eventually, Elias and the other big boys in the sewing industry got fed up with fighting and got together. They formed the Sewing Machine Cartel. Then they fought everyone else. What fun! It was totally illegal and was brought to an end years later by a change in the law. However they all made a mint out of it while it lasted.

Howe then went on to write a rather dubious history of his side of events. This painted him as the only real inventor of the sewing machine. A rather far-fetched picture by all accounts. His monster machine would never have caught on. It could only sew in short straight lengths. Mind you he made a good needle, better than almost anyone at the time.

Sewing Machine Cartel

Just for your records or school project the cartel were, Mr Wheeler and Mr Wilson, Isaac Singer, Mr Grover and his partner Mr Baker and of course Elias Howe and a few small fry that we won’t mention.If you click on the links of each individual you can go and read about their stories. 

It was Wilson that really helped with his method of feeding the work through the machine with a set of teeth. It was called the four-motion-feed and is still used today.

 

           

       

                  The Grover & baker                                       The Wheeler & Wilson     

Elias could not have been all bad as he used some of his enormous wealth to equip a whole Union infantry regiment in the American Civil War then enlisted himself, as a private.

Out of all these manufacturers, by 1851 Isaac Singer had the best machine. It incorporated many features that we still see today. He really won hands down with his treadle which allowed both hands

free for sewing.

Although Isaac cannot be credited with any major invention, (he allegedly copied just about everything) he did make a blinder of a sewing machine and had a few patents to boot. You just have to read my story on him, loads of scandals. It’s better than Sex in the City. Isaac Singer.

Of course the answer was there in front of us all the time. Isaac's machine bears a startling resemblance to the gearing and shafts on water mills that had been grinding flour for over 2,000 years! His genius lay in copying and then improving on what was around at the time. Was there a little bit of Japanese blood in him?

At least Singer's model A looked like a sewing machine!

Basically, the human mind rarely makes huge leaps in technology. In fact I think it is just about impossible. If it was we would have evolved much faster than we did. 

I think people see an idea and improve on it. Which, I believe, is what happened with the sewing machine.

The perfect example is James Edward Allen Gibb. He saw a picture of a sewing machine, the top half, and went to work. He made a perfect sewing machine. Unable to see the bottom half he invented an entirely new method of stitching. What we ended up with was the stunning Wilcox & Gibbs Chainstitch machine.

Just one more before it all gets messy.

Charles Judkins

In 1851 C T Judkins was already exhibiting and selling his weird box-shaped sewing machines. At the Great Exhibition in 1851 Charled Judkins demonstrated his power driven machine by sewing nearly 500 stitches into fabric in one minute. As a point of note his was the only British sewing machine exhibited. How that changed in a few short years. The world was ready for the sewing machine.

From the early 1850’s, the handful of inventors turned into hundreds, then thousands and tens-of-thousands.

The most useful invention of the Victorian era

The Singer Company went on to perfect the sewing machine and dominated world production for the next century. A century of Singer's

To begin with the press were not very positive about sewing machines.

The general impression has sprung up that the invention on

the whole is a failure.

Illustrated London News 1854. 

This is the Somervell Brothers clothing and coat factory in Netherfield, Kendal, 1862. It shows that after a few hiccups with the new fangled sewing machines they

caught on. In a few short years mechanisation of clothes had quickly taken hold.

The first mass produced domestic appliance in history had arrived in the household. However it was not so simple as you may think. The first reliable sewing machines were here at last but because we had been plagued by countless poor and faulty machines before so no one trusted these new sewing machines. However once the factories got their production right sewing machines were on a roll.

They say that gun makers like Winchester and Samuel Colt toured the sewing machine factories perfecting their mass production techniques for arms.

Many of the factories that had tried the first machines had their

fingers burnt and were reluctant to waste more money, especially while labour was so cheap.

Isaac Singer went into overdrive and his early acting skills came into their own as he paraded his machines around like a fairground attraction.

Slowly Slowly sewing machines started to sell in numbers.

Holloway, Crowe & Holloway, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England

This woodcut illustration from 1854 shows possibly the first factory in Britain to use sewing machines, powered by a steam engine which drove belts below each machine. George Holloway successfully converted his

clothing factory to sewing machines using early C T Judkins of Manchester sewing machines. Twenty sewing machines doing the work of

60 women. The tide was turning...

From our new machines we can produce hundreds of pairs of

men's working trousers a week. The days of the poor

needlewoman are over.By the middle of the 1850's everyone could see the light and from then on it was all down to good marketing. Some, like Singer and Pfaff were marketing experts and their machines flourished. Many, like poor old Josef & Bart mentioned earlier, died in poverty.

By the late Victorian period the sewing machine had been hailed as the most useful invention of the century releasing women from the drudgery of endless hours of sewing by hand. Factories sprung up in almost every country in the world to feed the insatiable demand for the sewing machine. Germany had over 300 factories some working 24 hours a day producing countless numbers of sewing machines. 

By 1926 the American patent office had over 150,000 different patent models. Tricky dusting those!

Within decades, millions of sewing machines were being sold to every corner of the world and all our clothes looked much better!

Today, there are some sewing machines that are so advanced they can scan a pattern, duplicate it, then store the pattern in case it is needed again and maintain themselves. In addition, if that is not enough, they actually speak to you when there is a problem. Boy do they drive me mad when I am fixing them!

So there we have it, a brief history of the first sewing machine inventors. As clear as mud! Like I said at the beginning, many countries can claim to have given birth to the first sewing machine, but likeElias Howe and Isaac Singer found out, it would be hard to prove in court.

Not as boring as you thought eh! Scroll down...

When you next look at the humble sewing machine stop for a second and wonder how the world would be without it. I will leave you with one final quote from the Victorian press.

" In the history of the world the sewing machine has freed more women from the

drudgery of manual labour than any invention to date!"

Anon

A brief history of the invention of the sewing machine, without the boring bits.

By

Alex I AskaroffWell that's it, I do hope you enjoyed my work. I spend countless hours researching and writing these pages and I love to hear from people so drop me a line and let me know what you thought:alexsussex@aol.com

News Flash! Alex now has a dedicated website for all his

books: www.crowsbooks.com 

Both my books, Sussex Born and Bred, and Corner of the Kingdom

 are now available instantly on Kindle and iPad.

       

 alexsussex@aol.com

Main Site Index: Index

Please forgive any inaccuracies I do try by best. Do let me know if you spot anything.

A great read: Ena Wilf  & The One-Armed Machinist

A brilliant slice of 1940's life: Spies & Spitfires

Alex's stories are now available to keep. Click on the picture for more information.

 

I loved your article about the invention of the sewing machine.Vanessa,Australia

Dear AlexI cannot tell you how wonderful it was to stumble across your web pages today!Kind regardsKerry E Sussex

 

Thanks Alex,

for the wonderful story of how the sewing machine came into being. And for the wonderful way in which you write. Renafrom Chilliwack BC Canada

Dear Alex,I read with interest your article on sewing machines as my distant Great Great.....Grandfather was Thomas Saint and I have always been curious to know more about him and his invention.Many thanks,Pat Heffer ( mother was Dorothy Saint before marriage)

Sir,

As a descendent of Baltazar I was very interested in your piece. I know for sure you are right about the patent. I hope to someday visit Krems Austria where a bust of Grandpa stands and a copy of his machine is in a museum.

Thank you!

Kris KremsStrongsville, OhioUSA

Mr. Alex,

 your articles for sewing machines are perfect!I don't know the published day of the article about sewing machine's invention history, but It was very helpful for my paper I 'm working on, for university!Easy and enjoyable to read!Your extended and detailed research work about sewing machine and its history, shows your true love for it!

 Thanx Again for your contribution to sewing history!I loved your website!

 Kind Regards,Ria DaskalakiUndergraduated StudentUniversity of Crete, Economics DepartmentGreece

Alex,

What a fun, entertaining history.  I love all the humor you added.  Very well written.  

Thanks,

Cheryl in Illinois (Land of the Free, Home of the Brave)

 

Oh, Alex!  I love your site already, but this page is just wonderful!  I promptly shared it with several people!  You've made the whole story of 

the sewing machine something fun to read!  Thank you so much.....and the poem is great, too.

Lilith TX

While I have your attention have a quick glimpse of Singer machines in their first

century.Singer throughout the years.

 

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This sewing machine was one of the first ever manufactured by Singer. Singer sewing machines was

founded by Issac Singer in 1850. This model was manufactured in 1865 in Singer's factory, New York.

The first factory outside of America was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1867. In 1870 Singer sold 170,000

machines and opened up its first factory in England. By 1880 over 500,000 sewing machines sold and

more sales centres were opened up across the USA. By 1890 it had 80% of the worldwide market share.

By 1913 over 3 million sewing machines had been sold worldwide. In 1978 Singer created the first

computer controlled sewing machine in the world. In 2001 Singer celebrated its 150th anniversary. Singer

sewing machines were the first manufactures of sewing machines in the world. They are still the best

know brand of sewing machine in the world today. The sewing machine helped develop the fashion

industry as clothes could now be made quicker and cheaper .

Harriet, aged 10

Comments are closed for this object

T A GLANCE:In the early 1800s, clothing was made by hand, families sewed their pants, shirts, and dresses using a needle and thread. But in 1846 Elias Howe changed all that, he came up with another way to make clothes, he patented the first practical sewing machine..The sewing machine industry based on his original invention made possible the mass production of clothing on a much larger scale than had ever been possible

THE STORYRELATED INFOBOOKSWEB SITESHOW IT WORKSDID YOU KNOW?

with hand-stitching. 

Invention : sewing machine

Function: noun / sew·ing ma·chine

Definition: A apparatus using a needle and thread to join or repair material. Primarily used in the making of clothing.

Patent: 4,750 (US) issued September 10, 1846

Inventor: Elias Howe

Criteria; First practical. Entrepreneur.

Birth: July 10, 1819 in Spencer, Massachusetts

Death: October 3, 1867 in Brooklyn, New York

Nationality: American

Milestones:1755 Charles T. Wiesenthal, designed and patented a double pointed needle 1826 On March 10, Henry Lye received a patent for a device for sewing leather 1830 Barthelemy Thimonnier used a wheel-driven connecting rod that drove the needle up and down1834 Walter Hunt designed a double-thread shuttle machine1846 Elias Howe invented and patented the first Automatic Sewing Machine for practical operation.1849 Benjamin Wilson introduced an automatic feeding system.1851 Isaac Merritt Singer Invented introduced the first sewing machine scaled for home use.1854 Isaac Singer patent (US No.10975) issued May 30, for the home sewing machine 1854 Allen Wilson had developed an improved reciprocating shuttle

1855 Wilson went into business with Nathaniel Wheeler to produce a rotary hook instead of a shuttle1856 Patent Combine formed, consisting of Singer, Howe, Wheeler & Wilson, and Grover & Baker.1889 The first practical electric sewing machine introduced by the Singer Sewing Machine Co.1900 Singer claims 80% worldwide market share in sewing machinesCAPs: Elias Howe, Isaac Merritt Singer, Charles T. Wiesenthal, Henry Lye,  Barthelemy Thimonnier, Walter Hunt, Alan Wilson, Nathaniel Wheeler. SIPs: sewing machine, clothing, thread, needle, invention, history, inventor of, history of, who invented, invention of, fascinating facts.

The StoryIn the early 1800s, most people didn't have the money, not to mention a choice of stores in which to buy clothes for themselves and their families. At that time, everything was made by hand. Families sewed their pants, shirts, and dresses using a needle and thread. But Elias Howe changed all that, he came up with another way to make clothes. He patented the first practical sewing machine in 1846.In 1846, the idea of a sewing machine was nothing new. The first patents for such a machine had been granted in England in 1755, in Austria in 1819, the U.S. in 1826 and France in 1830..Early sewing machines were designed for industrial applications.In 1755, the American inventor Charles T. Wiesenthal, designed and patented a double pointed needle to eliminate the need for turning the needle around with each stitch. Henry Lye, of Philadelphia, obtained a patent March 10,1826, for an invention for sewing leather; but no record or model has been 

found, to indicate the principle of the contrivance.

In 1830, Barthelemy Thimonnier of Saint-Etienne, France, used the double-pointed needle as the basis for the first sewing machine put to practical use. He attached the needle to a wheel-driven connecting rod that drove the needle up and down. In 1834, American Walter Hunt designed a double-thread shuttle machine.  In 1849, Hunt also patented, but failed to profit from, the safety

pin.

Elias Howe was born in Spencer, Massachusetts, on the July 10, 1819. Upon completion of schooling he started a job as a machinist, a position that was chosen for him. Howe first heard the term sewing machine while working in Boston for Ari Davis, who made and repaired precision instruments. People had been trying to invent such a device for half a century in America and abroad, without any great success. His brain labored and his hands toiled to develop and perfect his invention; and there it was that, early in the month of April 1845, after five years of unremitting toil and ceaseless devotion to the task, the first Automatic Sewing Machine was constructed and finished for practical operation.  His papers were filed as a caveat in the patent office, September 22nd, 1845, and his application for a patent was completed May 17th, 1846. It was granted September 10th, 1846.

In 1851, Isaac Merritt Singer, a machinist from Boston, Massachusetts, introduced the first sewing machine scaled for home use. Singer's patent (US 10, 975) was issued May 30, 1854. Although Singer’s early machines were based on Howe’s concept, he later patented the rigid arm for holding the needle and a vertical bar to hold the cloth down against the upward stroke of the needle.Meanwhile Mr. Allen Wilson had developed a reciprocating shuttle, which was an improvement over Singer’s and Howe’s. However, John Bradshaw had patented a similar device and was threatening to sue. Wilson decided to change tack and try a new method. He went into partnership with Nathaniel Wheeler to produce a machine with a rotary hook instead of a shuttle. This was far quieter and smoother than the other methods .Through the 1850s more and more companies were being formed and were trying to sue each other. Howe brought suit against Singer for patent infringement and won, forcing Singer  and other companys to pay him royalties. In 1856 the Sewing Machine Combination was formed, consisting of Singer, Howe, Wheeler and Wilson, and Grover and Baker. These four companies pooled their patents, meaning that all the other manufacturers had to obtain a license and pay $15 per machine. This lasted until 1877 when the last patent expired.

Singer went on to developed the continuous stitch machine and he founded the Singer Sewing Machine Company, which became one of the world’s largest manufacturers of personal sewing machines. The first electric sewing machine, a Singer, for the home was introduced in 1889.Before he died in 1867 Howe was collecting royalties of more than four thousand dollars a week and he had realized about $2,000,000 in total royalties. The sewing machine industry based on his original invention made possible the mass production of clothing on a much larger scale than had ever been possible with hand-stitching. By 1905, Americans all over the country were beginning to sew with electrically powered machines. Today sewing machines in manufacturing plants use computer technology to create customized clothing with little human intervention.

Singer Sewing Machiness r i j e d a , 1 9 . p r o s i n c a 2 0 1 2 .

Singer Sewing Machine

Singer sewing machineSinger Corporation is the name of the American company known for manufacturing sewing machines. The company was founded by the 1851st Isaac Merrit Singer (1811th - 1875) and lawyer Edward Clark (1811th-1882nd) under the name IM Singer & Co..

  

Isaac Merrit Singer    

Isaac Merrit Singer, actor, inventor and entrepreneur from Pittstown, New York, the child of immigrants from Germany, but has managed to make some successful patents. Quite by accident the 1850th in Boston, he liked to repair sewing machine Lerow & Blodgett. Dissociating the kompliciranimehanizam Isaac Singer realized that sewing machine was much more reliable and less perishable if the shuttle is moved in a straight line (up and down) thancircular, with a flat instead of curved needle. He actually changed the logic, instead of a needle wash cloth, with his machine, the needle would just go up and down, and the fabric is supposed to move in the direction of the seam. Singer decided to invest time and money in the production of a new machine, after 11 days and $ 40 spent on prototypes - gave birth to the first Singer sewing machine.

    

The first prototype of 1851. The coat of arms of the company

Isaac Singer patented his first sewing machine 1851st and together with a partner the New

York lawyer Edward Clark founded the company IM Singer & Co..

based in New York. In just two years Singer has become a leading American manufacturing

factories and selling sewing machines. The company was renamed Singer Manufacturing

Company 1853rd and opened a manufacturing plant in New York, the New York of the first

sewing machines were sold at a price of $ 100. Despite the high price ($ 100 was a

veritable wealth of) their machines are sold well because they were sold on the installment

plan. Customers are able to pay off their work on the machines that were given -

immediately.

 

Model of 1865. the

Singer's international expansion began in the second World Exhibition in Paris in 1855th, where their machines won first prize. That same year, opened a sales office in Paris, and thus became the first multinational company in the world. Immediately afterwards, in 1856, opened the dealership in Glasgow, Scotland. After that Singer began to think about the model for home use, 1858. They dropped the model Grasshopper (Grasshopper) - first machine for household, which was sold at a rate of 3000 units per year. Singer Company otvarila three manufacturing plants in New York and began selling in South America (Brazil). from the 1861st foreign sales were higher than those in America. The first big factory, it built 1863rd in Elizabeth New Jersey.

    

Advertising in 1880. The User Manual

Success sells household sewing machines Singer Company brought great profits. Sales increased from 20,000 pieces per year in 1863. to 180,000 in 1871. Since then the company starts Singer sapolitikom decentralization of production, and built the first manufacturing facility outside the United States - 1867 in Glasgow. After that Singer has opened manufacturing plant in Brighton 1871st, which became the largest factory in England at that time.

Model from 1878. the

The founder and first director of Isaac Merritt Singer, died in 1875. at the age of 63. Singer takes over leadership of the company's friend and co-founder Edward Clark, who considerably expanded the market and production, and led until his death in 1882. (he died at age 82). Singer machine sales growth has been impressive, the 1880th sold 500,000 pieces 1880th andopened new manufacturing facilities in Canada, Germany and America.

    

Advertisements from the late 19th century

Its largest plant in the world in Kilbowie in Scotland. In this factory was employing 12,000 workers.

    

He had always followed the Singer sewing machine nice design

Singer Company in the early 20 Ages held 80% of the world market of sewing machines, and sold about a million units a year. In light of these results, Singer opened manufacturing plant in Russia in 1902 in Podolsk.

                

Advertisement for the Russian market is an important influence on the fashion world

Singer is the first company that started to establish a franchise since the 1863rd It is primarily related to the sale.

Model, 1922. the

Large numbers were required of the new structure, so in 1904. incorporated Singer Sewing Machine Company, which dealt only with the distribution and sale.

Model of 1939. the

Production of electricity and the emergence of the first electric motors led Singer to go in experiments with those papers. First electric sewing machine kicked in 1889, and in 1891 the firstelectric sewing machine for home use.

Model of 1954. The

Singer Company, was very advanced for its time, 1908. then they built the tallest skyscraper in the world, from 47 floors, 186 meters high in New York (on Broadway), designed by Ernest Flagg. It was the headquarters of the company more than 60 years until it was demolished in the 1968th.

 

Skyscraper in New York

Another famous Singer Building, was built 1902nd to 1904th Prospectus on Nevsky in downtown Petersburg Sankoh as the seat of the Russian branch company, designed by architect Pavel Sjuzora.

Building in St. Petersburg

Singer sewing machines Singer sewing machines were popularly known as the industry's first mass-marketed product in the former Yugoslavia between the two world wars, because it has become almost an obligate part of the dowry the better-off bachelorette.

Such was my grandmother had

Singer had his luxury dealerships in almost every major city, and almost always in the center. Their showroom in Zagreb was the Ban Jelacic Square 13, the former Yugoslav Bank building, built in the 1926th designed by architect Ignjata Fischer. It is interesting that Singer had a small production facility and showroom in Bitola in the time of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th Ages.

Singer building in Bitola

Since the 1960s Singer počeookretati new business, they first bought the factory calculator Fridén 1965, followed by Packard Bell Electronics in 1966 and General Precision Equipment Corporation 1968th Division with Sewing Machine sold the 1989 Canadian Company Semi-Tech Microelectronics.

 

Model of 1968. year and 1970. year.

 

Models 1z 1975th and 1982. The

      

Models from 1990. and 2005. The

Today Singer Corporation is a multinational company that produces a wide range of consumer products, including sewing machines (now electronic). It's just part of the megacorporation SVP Worldwide (Singer, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff). Chief

their competitors are Brother Industries and Aisin Seiki (from the Toyota Group).

 

Always beware that the logo is recognizable.

 

That advertising is different.

 

That service, delivery and repair are quick.

 

As a consequence, followed by awards.

This year 2011. celebrating 160 years since the appearance of the first Singer sewing machines 1865th year.

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