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.