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Thomas Saint was thought to be first creator of sewing machine
Thomas Saint, an englishman, was thought to be the first person to create a functioning sewing machine. -
Josef Madersperger makes a machine
Began developing his first sewing machine in 1807. He presented his first working machine in 1814. He built a machine imitating the weaving process using the chain stitch of Thomas Saint, however his model was more efficient because of his models stitching placement. -
The first practical and widely used sewing machine was invented by Barthélemy Thimonnier
Thimonnier's machine sewed straight seams using the chain stitch present in Saint's model, and in 1830, he signed a contract with Auguste Ferrand, a mining engineer, who made the requisite drawings and submitted a patent application. Unlike previous machines, Thimonnier's is made of wood and uses a barbed needle which passes downward through the cloth to grab the thread and pull it up to form a loop that will be locked by the next loop, which made it easier to use than its predecessors. -
Sewing Machine Combination was formed
Consisting of Issac Singer, Elias Howe, Nathaniel Wheeler, Allen Wilson, William Grover and William Baker. These five companies pooled their patents resulting in other manufacturers needing to obtain a license and pay $15 per machine. This lasted until 1877, when the last patent expired. Through the combined efforts of these inventors the sewing machine was eventually made more efficient through advances in needle endurance, as well as mechanisms that did not catch on the material. -
Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company are still used
In partnership with James Willcox, Gibbs became a principal partner in Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company.
Willcox & Gibbs' commercial sewing machines are still used in the 21st century. The machines employ the Gibbs rotary twisted chain stitch mechanism which was less prone to coming undone than in earlier models. -
Wiliam Newton Wilson made adjustments to Saint's ideas
Made adjustments to the looper mechanism on Saint's drawings, which improved the process by accelerating the work speed and thereby the efiiciency. -
Brother makes computerized sewing machines
The most advanced sewing machine today, the Brother CS6000I offers 7 different button hole styles and 60 stitching options. It also features an automatic needle threader and computerized LCD screen, which, when compared with more archaic models that were manually operated and often only had capacity for one threading style, displays the vast improvements in technology and the sewing machine over history. -
Future for sewing machines?
The future is up for grabs in the sewing industry and could reveal many innovations. The next major advancement could even take the form of creating thread from virtually nothing. However, if that is the future, it is in a galaxy far, far away, and will not transpire for a while. In more recent developments, the company Brother has already made sewing machines that can complete the entire sewing proces autonomously, their only requirement being a continuous supply of thread.
