Before the invention
of the sewing machine, all clothing, home furnishings and even
agricultural sacks were sewn by hand. The series of events and
inventions that led to what we recognise today as a sewing machine
were a very important part of history. Here is an overview of some
the inventors, their contributions and how we finally made reality
the dream of a machine that could take the labour out of sewing.
The first person to
apply for a patent for a sewing machine was a British inventor named
Thomas Saint in 1791, however his machine was not known to have ever
been developed. The first actual working sewing machine to be
presented as such to the world was in 1814 by an Austrian tailor
Josef Madersperger, although no apparently working machine is thought
to have come from his work.
In 1830 Barthlemy
Thimonnier from France patented a working machine that was capable of
sewing straight seams with a chain stitch. By 1841 he had a factory
of these machines but it was allegedly sabotaged and burnt down by
French tailors, they were reported to have seen the existence of
these machines as a threat to their jobs rather than the invaluable
work tool that the sewing machine came to be. Thimonnier eventually
came to England with a machine and was apparently the first person to
offer working machines for sale, he also ran a garment factory.
An American Walter
Hunt invented the first lockstitch sewing machine in 1833. This
machine used 2 spools of thread with an eye pointed needle similar to
machines of today, however the machine needed resetting too often to
be viable. Another American, John Greenough, produced a working
machine in which the needle passed completely through the cloth but
was unable to generate enough interest to produce the machine for
resale.
Elias Howe created a
machine similar to that made by Walter Hunt in 1845. There were a
number of improvements which made his machine the most viable yet
although he struggled to gain financial backing. After attempting to
sell his machine in England he return to the US to find lots of
people had taken his idea and producing similar machines that
apparently infringed his patent.
Isaac Merritt Singer
was an engineer who decided to redesign the rotary sewing machine.
His machine used a flying 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 also included a
basic tensioning system. Singer got an American patent for his
machine in 1851, he developed a foot pedal or treadle, for use with
his machines. Howe took Singer and a few others to court over patent
breaches and was awarded some compensation.
An interesting fact,
if you find these things interesting, is that the first hire-purchase
type payment scheme is reported to have first been brought about by
Singer and a lawyer named Edward Clark, and was brought about in
order to allow people to afford to buy their sewing machines. The
success of the Singer sewing machines tends to be attributed more to
the sales techniques used by Singer and Clark, rather than anything
outstandingly different with their machines.
Over the years other
people and partnerships brought improvements and manufactured more
machines. There were more than a few squabbles over patents and
threats to sue. Allen B Wilson and Nathaniel Wheeler created a
quieter smoother machine under the Wheeler and Wilson Company
manufacturing machines in the 1850s and 60s. As more people entered
the design and production of sewing machines 'The Sewing Machine War'
came about as everyone tried to protect their own intellectual
property, eventually Singer, Howe, Wheeler and Wilson and Grove and
Baker came together with their patents forming 'The Sewing Machine
Combination' in 1856. This forced the other manufacturers to do
things their way and pay a license fee for the privilege.
Knitting machines
were first seen in 1877 in the form of a crochet machine, this was
invented by a Joseph Merrow. This machine was in fact the first
'overlock' sewing machine and The Merrow Machine Company still
produce overlock machines today.
In 1885 Singer
patented the 'Singer Vibrating Shuttle' sewing machine using Allen B
Wilson vibrating shuttle, this machine was more adapt at
lockstitching, replacing the oscillating shuttles and continuing use
till the rotary shuttle machines replaced them.
Electric sewing
machines were actually originally developed in 1889 by the Singer
Sewing Co. Up until this point they had continued on the tried and
tested design with just more decoration. Electric motors were stuck
on the side of the old machines to start with, but found their way
into the case becoming an intrinsic part of the machine.
Toyota produced
their first electric sewing machine in 1946.
The 1980s saw the
introduction of computer controlled machines to be used in all manner
of industries including clothing, shoemaking and industrial
manufacturing.
Embroidery machines
no longer use cards to effect the stitching, they can now courtesy of
new computerized systems, produce pretty much anything you like on
fabric.
The invention of the
sewing machine was a very important step in industrialisation and
economic development. It also set free many women from the work of
hand stitching clothes and linens. The contribution that these
machines have made to art in all forms of fashion and interior design
cannot be overlooked either, quite simply it is one of the most
important machines of our time! (I'm trying to imagine what an apple
'i-sew' machine might actually look like and do!)
