The History Of Mechanical Sewing Machines

Mechanical sewing machines have been around for more than a hundred years, and more people than you might think still use them, even with the availability of more technologically advanced electronic or computerized sewing machines.

For anyone who has spent some time making their own clothes, or has had some fun quilting or putting together cloth accessories, the use of a sewing machine may range from a pleasant luxury to something that is completely indispensable to their sewing projects.

When you think of mechanical machines, it is important to realize that you are thinking about any sewing machine that was created between the beginning of mechanized sewing and the 1970s or so.

Mechanical sewing machines have seen a lot of new designs and a great deal of sophistication in the last hundred years, and it is impressive seeing how they have changed and how they have changed the people around them!

The first sewing machine was believe to have been designed around 1790, though it was never made. A patent from a British inventor named Thomas Saint created a sewing machine that was meant to be used canvas and leather, though a working model was never made.

Forty years later, in 1830, a sewing machine that made straight seams using a chain stitch was patented by a French tailor named Barthelemy Thimonnier, and within a year, Thimonnier had 80 machines working in a factory, making uniforms for the French Army. French tailors, however, rioted over the loss of work and fear for their livelihoods, leading to the end of Thimonnier's work.

The name that is synonymous for many people with sewing machine and sewing goods is Singer, and with good reason. Singer was an impressive man, doing work with inventing, entrepreneurship and and even acting, and it was because of him that we see as many sewing machines in the home as we do today.

During the time when he was working with sewing machines, there was a general point of view that women and machines did not mix, or least, machines didn't mix with women were relatively well off. While industrial sewing machines were already used at that time, sewing machines were still considered too much for most women to handle.

Singer instituted a pervasive marketing campaign in the face of what was "known" at the time. At that point in time, machine goods were thought to be significantly inferior to handmade goods, there was no reason for a woman to want to save time, and the operation of machines was something that was considered beyond most women.

Thanks to the aggressive marketing campaign created by Singer, and due to its portrayal of the changing role of women, a sewing machine soon become a common fixture in the home.

When looking at the mechanical sewing machine, it does a great deal of good to see how its mechanism is so different from hand sewing.

Essentially, a machine does not release the needle and move it from one side of the fabric to another, as a human does. Instead, a mechanical machine will only push the needle part of the way through the fabric.

Because the eye of the needle is right behind the sharp tip, a fairly well-sized loop of thread is pushed through the fabric. A small metal catch underneath will grab the loop of thread and wrap around a previous loop in the same thread, or it will twine it around another loop from a thread that runs underneath the surface of the fabric in question.

The most simple stitch that you will see the mechanical sewing machine do is probably the chain stitch, where a single thread is continuously looped back on top of itself.

This stitch can be sewn very quickly, but many people who sew do not consider it a good choice for a permanent seam. When even one end is loosened, the entire seam can come undone. This is why this stitch is so common when things like bags of rice or flour are sewn shut.

Whether you are considering purchasing a mechanical sewing machine, or you are simply curious about the forbears of your own electronic sewing machine, you will see that there is a lot to know about these devices!

They have created their own industries, and they are still being used to create lovely, wearable fashion.