A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and other materials together with thread. The English inventor Thomas Saint designed the first sewing machine in 1790, though he never built it, and the French tailor Barthelemy Thimonnier built the first practical, widely used machine in 1829. Sewing machines emerged during the first Industrial Revolution to reduce the labor of hand sewing, and they went on to transform both home sewing and factory clothing production, improving the efficiency and productivity of the clothing industry while lowering the cost of manufactured clothing.
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountThe first practical and widely used sewing machine, credited to French tailor Barthelemy Thimonnier in 1829, was put into factory use the following year to produce French army uniforms. 1 FAQs
Why did French tailors destroy early sewing machines?
Tailors put out of work by Thimonnier's machine factory rioted and destroyed the machines.
In France, the tailor Barthelemy Thimonnier developed a machine that stitched fabric together with a chain stitch. His factory made uniforms for the French Army and had 80 machines at work by 1841. A mob of tailors displaced by the factory rioted, destroyed the machines, and nearly killed Thimonnier.
How did the legal fight over sewing machine patents turn out?
Howe won his infringement suits by 1854.
Elias Howe patented his machine in 1846. Others copied it while he was overseas, so after he returned in 1849 he sued the other companies for patent infringement. By 1854 he had won the suits, which also made the sewing machine a landmark device in the evolution of patent law.
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Source Sewing Machine (Wikipedia)
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Source Elias Howe (Wikipedia)
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1. Sewing Machine (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead section, sentence 3
Since the invention of the first sewing machine, generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790, the sewing machine has greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of the clothing industry.
History, Invention section, Thimonnier paragraph, sentence 1
The first practical and widely used sewing machine was invented by Barthelemy Thimonnier, a French tailor, in 1829.
Lead section
generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790
In Field: Textile Engineering, Categories
Textile machinery
In Group: Sewing and Embroidery Machines, Lead paragraph
A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread.
View the Source Elias Howe (Wikipedia)
Invented By: Elias Howe, Lead paragraphQuote, Invented By: Elias Howe, Lead paragraph
Elias Howe Jr. (; July 9, 1819, October 3, 1867) was an American inventor best known for his creation of the modern lockstitch sewing machine.
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