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Antique Sewing Machines
Require Special
Care.
Over the years, sewing
machines have changed drastically. The
materials used prior to 1950 are very different
from the materials used today. As a result,
special techniques and care must be taken in
order to properly maintain and repair antique
sewing machines.
Antique Sewing Machine
Repair
is a detailed ecourse for
the hobby or business of servicing and
maintaining precious antique sewing
machines.
The ecourse includes a
workbook to guide you to learn antique sewing
machine repair quickly and easily.
In addition to the ecourse
and workbook, the program comes loaded with
exciting bonuses including the ebook Sewing
Machine Repair TNT and...
Antique Repair
Manual Collection
A special collection of
manufacturer's parts and service manuals are
provided for educational purposes to help you
learn the essentials of sewing machine
repair.
To learn more about this
exciting ecourse, CLICK
HERE.
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WHO
INVENTED
THE SEWING MACHINE
AND WHEN?
When was the sewing machine
invented? In this article we will discover the
history of home sewing machines.
Elias Howe (1819-1867)
created the first practical mechanical sewing
machine in 1846 with a patent filed describing
“a process that used thread from two different
sources”… The top thread passed through a
curved needle with an eye at the pointed end.
The needle would pierce through the fabric,
while another thread contained in a shuttle
passed through and caught the first thread
forming a locked stitch. Elias Howe had done
it! His lockstitch machine could put out
(250spm) as much as five speedy experienced
hand sewers.
It was joked that Elias Howe
was not actually the inventor of the sewing
machine. Some said it was actually his wife.
She got so upset with her husband that one day
she made up her mind and in two hours invented
the sewing machine. Elias, however, filed the
patent taking credit for everything. (Russel
Conwell, 1877) We will never know the truth,
but difficulties marketing the device and
struggles over patent rights drained the Howe
family of even greater success.
Others were watching and
adapting. Isaac Singer (1811-1875) invented a
mechanism that moved up and down. Allen Wilson
originated a rotary hook shuttle.
By 1850 the race to deliver
a practical sewing machine to industry and the
home entered mass production. Isaac Singer led
the way with the first commercially successful
sewing machine with moving needle (up/down)
powered by a foot treadle device to produce the
same lockstitch designed by Howe. The famous
foot treadle device was a huge advancement.
Previous machines had all been hand crank
machines. .
Walter Hunt (1796-1860))
launched a lockstitch machine (1834) using two
threads and an eye-pointed needle, but he never
filed a patent. Elias Howe sued Hunt for patent
infringement, and a panic among garment workers
fearing unemployment crushed Hunt’s enthusiasm.
Hunt abandoned his efforts and the patent
pursuit.
Legal battles ensued over
patent infringements. In spite of winning the
court battle (1854), Elias Howe largely lost
the marketing battle. Elias Howe marketed his
machine earning an estimated two million
dollars by the end of the Civil War.
Singer continued to enhance
and market his own version of the sewing
machine. Singer became a household name, and
even today remains the best known brand of
sewing machines.
Communities were desperate
to get their hands on this exciting new
invention. When the average family income was
only $500 per year, the Singer machine cost
$125. Towns would join together to buy one
machine for the whole town.
For more information on the
exciting development of the sewing machine,
check out: The World’s Greatest Hobby by Donna
and David Trumble at www.sewinganswers.com.
See photos of some of the finest antique sewing
machines in the book Sewing Yesteryear. Also
see some of the finest new machines under
research at www.sewinganswers.com.
AUTHOR:
Donna Trumble is a professional designer,
seamstress, author, sewing educator, and sewing
business owner. She leads several
Sewing Show And Tell groups in her stores
guiding participants to shop sewing machines
and learn about sewing and quilting.
David Trumble is a sewing
professional, author, semi-retired minister,
sewing machine technician, and CFO of Temple
Sewing And Supply, Inc.
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