Invented by : Barthelemy Thimonnier
Invented in year : 1830
A Sewing Machine is a textile machine used to stitch fabric or other material together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. The main stitch of most older Sewing Machines, chain stitch, had one major drawback – it was very weak and the stitch could easily be pulled apart. In modern Sewing Machines the fabric easily glides in and out of the machine without the hassle of needles and thimbles and other such tools used in hand sewing, automating the process of stitching and saving time.
History of the Invention
Charles Weisenthal from Germany is considered to have been issued the first possible patent connected to mechanical sewing in 1755. 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.
In 1790, english inventor and cabinet maker, Thomas Saint was issued the first patent for a complete machine for sewing. The patent describes an awl that punched a hole in leather and passed a needle through the hole. From 1810-1818 various unsuccessful attempts were made to create and improve the invention. These included German, Balthasar Krems automatic machine for sewing caps, Thomas Stone and James Henderson's machine that emulated hand sewing, Scott John Duncan's embroidery machine with multiple needles and american, John Adams Doge's and John Knowles machine.
However in 1830, Barthelemy Thimonnier, a french tailor, invented the first functional Sewing Machine. Thimonnier's machine used only one thread and a hooked needle that made the same chain stitch used with embroidery. His invention brought about the ire of group of French tailors who burnt down his garment factory because they feared unemployment as a result of his new invention.
Development in the invention of Sewing Machine
In 1834, Walter Hunt built America's first partially successful Sewing Machine which could only sew straight steams. He later lost interest in patenting because he believed his invention would cause unemployment. 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.
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.
Zig-zag Stitch Machine
In 1873, Helen Augusta Blanchard of Portland, Maine patented the first Zig-zag Stitch Machine. The zig-zag stitch better seals the edges of a seam, making a garment sturdier. Helen Blanchard also patented 28 other inventions including a hat-sewing machine, surgical needles, and other improvements to sewing machines.
Electricity
The first mechanical sewing machines were used in garment factory production lines. It was not until 1889 that a sewing machine for use in the home was designed and marketed. By 1905, the electrically-powered sewing machine was in wide use.
Role of Sewing Machine in the Improvement Of Human Life
- Sewing Machine improved the procedure of stitching and sewing
- It also saved time and simplified the sewing process.
- Research and Development in Sewing Machine created many jobs and industries and as such became a source of capital
