{"id":131,"date":"2019-03-06T16:03:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/au.contrado.com\/blog\/?p=131"},"modified":"2020-09-01T15:32:33","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T15:32:33","slug":"history-of-the-sewing-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/au.contrado.com\/blog\/history-of-the-sewing-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the Sewing Machine: A Story Stitched in Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The history of the sewing machine is one littered with accusations, failed attempts and some serious scandal. From narrowly escaping death to patent law suits, it\u2019s an interesting story that demonstrates the seam-ingly humble sewing machine ruffled more than a few feathers in its infancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 20,000 year old art form<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history of the sewing machine wouldn\u2019t exist without the\nartistry of hand sewing. People started sewing by hand some 20,000 years ago,\nwhere the first needles were made from bones or animal horns and the thread\nmade from animal sinew. Our inventive instinct explains the natural progression\nto want to improve sewing techniques and make it less laborious. Cue the\nIndustrial Revolution in the 18th Century, where the need to decrease manual\nsewing in factories became paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1755:  The First Patent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Charles Weisenthal, a German man, was issued a British patent for a \u201cneedle that is designed for a machine.\u201d There\u2019s no description in Weisenthal\u2019s patent of any mechanical machine, but it shows there was a need for such an invention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"charles
Charles Weisenthal<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

1790: The First Detailed Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The history of the sewing machine essentially starts here. Englishman Thomas Saint designed the first sewing machine of its kind. The patent described a machine powered with a hand crank to be used for leather and canvas. Nobody knows if Saint built a prototype, but in 1874, William Newton Wilson found the patent drawings.<\/a> They were so detailed, he built a replica, proving that it did work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Newton
Newton Wilson’s model of Thomas Saint’s Sewing Machine design<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Early 18th Century: Many Attempts, Many Fails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth mentioning that all attempts of designing a\nsewing machine before the first successful one, all moved the needle side to\nside and were powered with a winding handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n