Buying a Sewing Machine

 

With the variety of sewing machines available, making a decision of which sewing machine to purchase is much more complex than it was way back when.....

Today's quilters are presented with some interesting and fun options that can make their quilting more interesting and relaxing.

Many of the more popular brands, including Singer, Simplicity, Janome, Brother, White and Nucci sewing machines feature an LCD display, dial-a-stitch selector, automatic needle threader, convertible free arm, extension table, electronic speed control, drop in bobbin, and computerized stitch selection, to name just a few. These machines sew not only straight stitches, but zig zag, button hole, and fancy embroidery stitches.

In addition to regular sewing machines, there are sergers and longarm quilting machines to consider.

Prices for sewing machines range from around $100 up to, well, in the thousands.

Before making your purchase, you should decide how you will use your machine, and whether you might want more than one machine. Those decisions can be made within the context of your budget and lifestyle, in addition to your commitment to quilting and the type of quilting you will be doing.

A History of the Sewing Machine

Before the invention of the sewing machine, all clothing, home furnishings and even agricultural sacks were sewn by hand. The series of events and inventions that led to what we recognize today as a sewing

machine were a very important part of history. Here is an overview of some the inventors, their contributions and how we finally made reality the dream of a machine that could take the labor out of sewing.

The first person to apply for a patent for a sewing machine was a British inventor named Thomas Saint in 1791, however his machine was not known to have ever been developed. The first actual working sewing machine to be presented as such to the world was in 1814 by an Austrian tailor Josef Madersperger, although no apparently working machine is thought to have come from his work.

In 1830 Barthelemy Thimonnier from France patented a working machine that was capable of sewing straight seams with a chain stitch. By 1841 he had a factory of these machines but it was allegedly sabotaged and burnt down by French tailors, they were reported to have seen the existence of these machines as a threat to their jobs rather than the invaluable work tool that the sewing machine came to be. Thimonnier eventually came to England with a machine and was apparently the first person to offer working machines for sale, he also ran a garment factory.