Elias Howe and the Sewing Machine

Elias Howe, an American inventor, was Born in Massachusetts in the early 1800's.

Although often credited with inventing the sewing machine, Howe was actually not the first to work on the development of this revolutionary tool.

Barthelemy Thimonnier, a French Tailor, is recognized as the inventor of the first functional sewing machine in 1830.

Four years later In America, Walter Hunt developed a straight seam machine. He did not, however, apply for a patent.

Elias Howe was granted the first United States patent for a loop and thread lockstitch sewing machine.

A brief accounting of the Elias Howe story is given by the US Library of Congress...

"In the early 1800s, most people didn't have the money, not to mention a choice of stores in which to buy clothes for themselves and their families. At that time, everything was made by hand. Families sewed their pants, shirts, and dresses using a needle and thread. But Elias Howe changed all that.

Born on July 9, 1819, Howe came up with another way to make clothes. He patented the first practical American sewing machine in 1846.

At 250 stitches a minute, Howe's machine could out sew the fastest of hand sewers. Despite its speed, though, Howe's invention did not sell very well. It wasn't until Isaac Singer (1811-1875) and Allen Wilson (1824-1888) each added their own new features to the machine that it became more popular.

Singer invented the up-and-down motion mechanism, and Wilson created a rotary hook shuttle. (A sewing machine uses two spools of thread. The shuttle holds the lower thread and carries this thread through a loop of the upper thread, resulting in a stitch.)

Howe, Singer, and Wilson put their inventions together, and soon sewing machines were built and sold to garment factories all over the United States.

In 1889, an electric sewing machine for use in the home was designed and marketed by Singer. By 1905, Americans all over the country were beginning to sew with electrically powered machines.

Today sewing machines in manufacturing plants use computer technology to create customized clothing with little human intervention."

Sewing enthusiasts around the world thank you guys!

Ref:
Americas Story from America's Library
United States Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.

Inventor Elias Howe