HISTORY OF SEWING

MACHINE
BRYAN S. MADALAGA
WHAT IS SEWING MACHINE?
 is a machine that uses a
thread of varying thickness
and colors to connect two or
more layers of fabric
together.

 A machine can make

multiple stitches in seconds,
the speed is determined by
the operator.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN?
 Sewing machines were invented
during the first Industrial
Revolution.
 The first Industrial Revolution
occurred between about 1760 to
1840.
 It started in Great Britain and was
the first major transition in human
society to move industries from
hand production to machine
production.
WHO IS THE FIRST PERSON TO GET A
PATENT?
 In 1755, Charles Weisenthal was the
first person to get a patent related to a
sewing machine. Weisenthal, a
German inventor and physician,
received a patent for a sewing
machine needle, which implied that
there was a machine to go with it.
CHARLES WEISENTHAL ...
 While Weisenthal is often credited with the idea of a sewing
machine, a cabinet maker from England named Thomas Saint
designed the first sewing machine of its kind. Thomas Saint is
more widely considered to be the sewing machine inventor,
and he brought the sewing machine design closer to reality.
WHO IS THE FIRST INVENTOR?
 Thomas Saint is more widely considered to be
the sewing machine inventor, and he brought
the sewing machine design closer to reality.

 In 1790, Saint drew detailed patent drawings,

though there isn’t any evidence that he built a
prototype of his sewing machine design. It
wasn’t until 1874, nearly a century later, that
William Newton Wilson happened upon Saint’s
patent drawings and used those designs to build
the first hand crank sewing machine.
ATTEMPTS AND INVENTORS OF A
SEWING MACHINE
BALTHASAR KREMS, 1810

 A German stocking weaver,

invented a machine for
sewing caps. Krems never
patented his invention,
however, probably because it
didn’t work very well.
JOSEF MADERSPERGER , 1815
 Josef Madersperger was granted a patent in
1815 for “the sewing hand.”

 He didn’t have the financial backing to

produce his invention, and people rejected
his idea, mainly due to technophobia.

 Technophobia, the fear that technology

would take jobs away, continued to obstruct
the design of the sewing machine for several
decades.
JOHN KNOWLES AND REVEREND
JOHN ADAMS DODGE, 1818
 John Knowles and Reverend John Adams Dodge invented the first
American sewing machine in 1818.

 Reverend Dodge had experience designing machinery for producing

horse collars, and even though they built a working sewing machine,
Dodge could not take time away from his three churches. They did not
pursue their sewing machine invention.
BARTHÉLEMY THIMONNIER, 1830
 In 1830, a wooden sewing machine
was designed and manufactured by
Barthélemy Thimonnier of France.

 He was granted a patent for his

sewing machine with his partner,
Auguste Ferrand, and he is largely
credited with having the first sewing
machine factory in the world.
BARTHÉLEMY THIMONNIER, 1830
 After his factory's destruction, Thimonnier returned to work as a
tailor, but he kept working on sewing machine inventions. He
received several patents in the 1840s and won prizes at World
Fairs.
 Even though Thimmonier was given accolades for his sewing
machine inventions, they did not take off, and he died a pauper.
 After his death, a sewing machine company named after him was
created and stayed in business until the end of the century.
WALTER HUNT, 1834
 He was an American mechanical engineer from
New York City. Hunt invented many useful
items, such as the safety pin and fountain pens.
In the 1830s, Hunt developed and sold a few
sewing machines out of his shop in New York.

 As the theme of technology versus manual

labor continued to block the growth of the
sewing industry, Hunt’s lockstitch machine was
never patented because he was concerned about
putting seamstresses out of work.
ELIAS HOWE, 1846
 He was born in Massachusetts and spent his early
years apprenticing in the textile industry. Ten years
after the lockstitch was born of Walter Hunt’s
invention, Elias Howe patented a lockstitch sewing
machine.

 The Howe patent had three main characteristics

common to modern sewing machines. First, the
needle had an eye at the same end as the point.
Second, there was a shuttle under the device that
fed a loop to create the lock stitch, and third, it
had an automatic feed to push the material into Elias Howe — the “real”
Father of the Modern Sewing
the path of the needle. Machine
ELIAS HOWE, 1846
 Howe’s brother had some luck selling his machine in
England, and soon after, Elias joined him. It wasn’t long before
Elias was forced to return to America due to his wife’s failing
health. Upon his return to the States, his wife passed away. He
discovered that several manufacturers, including Isaac Singer
and Walter Hunt, had reproduced and sold his machine. He
filed a lawsuit and thus began the Sewing Machine Patent
Wars.
SEWING MACHINES' RISE TO SUCCESS
ISAAC MERRITT SINGER
 He was another American inventor,
but he was also a businessman. He had
started manufacturing and selling
sewing machines in the late 1840s
based on Elias Howe’s patent. When
Elias Howe sued due to patent
infringement, a long battle ensued.
Howe’s lawsuits included several other
companies, including Wheeler &
Wilson and Grover & Baker.
ISAAC SINGER
 In 1850, Singer improved upon the sewing machine invented
by Elias Howe. He added a presser foot, tension control, and a
device that allowed people to stitch in a curved line. He was the
first person to market sewing machines for home use.

 Until then, sewing machines had been manufactured only for

industrial purposes. However, the price of $100 for a sewing
machine, equal to a few thousand dollars today, kept many
people from buying them.
ISAAC SINGER
 Until then, sewing machines had been manufactured only for
industrial purposes. However, the price of $100 for a sewing machine,
equal to a few thousand dollars today, kept many people from buying
them.

 Even though Isaac Singer is famous for the sewing machine, his
partner Edward Cabot Clark was instrumental in developing the
Singer brand. The prohibitive cost led Clark to start an installment
purchasing plan, which was the first of its kind.
FIRST SEWING MACHINE BRAND
 In 1889, Singer introduced the
first electric sewing machine
practical for home use. The
following year, the company
gained 90% of the global market
share of sewing machines.
FIRST ELECTRIC HOME SEWING
MACHINE
 Even though Thomas Edison’s
invention of electricity brought
electric lights to Manhattan as
early as 1882, only half of
America’s homes had electricity
by 1925. By that time, Singer
sewing machines had continued
to innovate. They introduced
their popular Portable Electric
model in 1921.
POPULAR SEWING MACHINE BRANDS
JANOME
 Janome is a Japanese company
that has been making sewing
machines since 1921. Janome
produces reliable, high-quality
sewing machines known for their
ease of use, decent stitch quality,
and excellent warranty coverage.
BROTHER
 Brother is another Japanese company
that has been making sewing machines
for over 100 years. Brother machines
are known for being durable. They are a
good choice for beginner sewers and
those on a tight budget. Some popular
models from Brother include the
Brother CS6000i, Brother SE600, and
Brother XR9500PRW.
HUSQVARNA VIKING
 Husqvarna Viking is another
well-known brand of sewing
machines known for their
quality and reliability. They
offer a variety of accessories,
allowing users to customize
their devices for their specific
needs.
 PFAFF
 Basic Pfaff sewing machines are
perfect for simple repairs and
mending, while more advanced
machines have features like needle
threaders, multiple stitch patterns,
and automatic thread cutting. Pfaff
also makes quilting-specific
machines with features like a drop
feed for free-motion quilting and a
stitch regulator for consistent
length.
JUKI
 Juki sewing machines are some
of the most iconic and reliable
sewing machines on the market.
They offer an array of
accessories and add-ons, such as
specialty feet and bobbins, to
make it easy to customize your
machine for any project.
IMPACT OF SEWING MACHINE ON
SOCIETY
SIGNIFICANT OF SEWING MACHINE
 The importance of the sewing machine in the textile and fashion
industry can most easily be seen in the amount of time it takes to
produce quality garments. Before the invention of the sewing
machine, a shirt took about 15 hours to sew. Using Isaac Singer’s
1850 sewing machine, a tailor could sew the same shirt in about an
hour.

 Before sewing machines, all clothing was made by local tailors and
seamstresses or crudely fashioned at home. Most people didn’t own
more than two to four outfits, and many women spent hours sewing
for their families.
Reference:

David Akhamzadeh, 2023

https://www.goldstartool.com/blog/the-complete-history-of-a-sewing-machine.htm