Celebrate National Sewing Machine Day on June 13
The sewing machine is truly one of society’s greatest inventions, with a long and rather interesting history, including patent conflicts, lawsuits and constant evolution, all on an international scale! Whether you’re inspired by the fashionistas on Project Runway or just need to mend a torn pocket, it’s clear that a sewing machine is something no home should be without. And since National Sewing Machine Day is celebrated yearly on June 13, this is the perfect time to share just a couple of the highlights along the colorful timeline of this lofty invention:
- In the 20th century, more than 4,000 different kinds of sewing machines were made.
- The first patent for a sewing machine is evidenced by a diagram, by the inventor Thomas Saint, and Englishman, in 1790, although there is a possibility that Charles Weisenthal, a German had already invented a machine 35 years earlier to go with a machine needle he had patented.
- The inventors Isaac Singer and Elias Howe from the United States, significantly improved the early designs of sewing machines in the 1840s and 1850s, and are often credited as the inventors of the appliance.
- While Elias Howe is credited with the actual invention of the first patented sewing machine in 1846, the industry’s most well-known figure, Isaac Singer actually patented his improved version in 1851.
- Singer promoted it internationally as a household necessity and as a result, the Singer Company became one of America’s first multinational corporations, and a hugely successful one at that. His success was due, in part, to selling the machines on installment plans with just a $5 or $10 deposit, allowing every household to own a sewing machine. It was one of the first products to be sold on credit. The $125 cost was approximately 1/5th of the average American income!
- Later, Garrett Morgan invented a zigzag stitching attachment for manually operated sewing machines and ran a successful business repairing sewing equipment in the early 1900s. Born the son of former enslaved Africans, Morgan is more widely known for inventing the traffic light, and an apparatus that became the modern-day gas mask, among other inventions.
- The 1950’s are regarded as the “Golden Age” of home sewing because of the ready availability of sewing machines for the home, designer patterns, DIY designs inspired by Hollywood. Fabric and sewing departments were also increasingly popular in all of the department stores.
Want to learn more, and try out some of today’s sewing machine technology? Check out the next Rahway Sewing & Quilting Meetup, scheduled for Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cultured Expressions Sewing & Quilting Studio, 1417 Main Street in Rahway. Local sewing machine expert Randy Krickus will present easy tips for machine care and maintenance. Reserve your seat at 866-MUDCLOTH or email info@CulturedExpressions.com, or RSVP on the Meetup website — visit www.meetup.com and search for “Rahway Sewing & Quilting”.
Photo by Edith B
