Sewing Machines Have Withstood The Test Of Time

By Sarah Macklin

Sewing machines have become one of the modern inventions that completely changed an industry from the very beginning. The Singer company introduced a revolutionary up and down needle machine that greatly increased the speed of sewing many types of fabric. Before that people would sew most things by hand and they quickly realized just how much time they could save by using this new design. Here we are more than 100 years later and these products are still being used today.

Early on, sewing machines were built mostly for commercial use on factory lines. They were made to greatly speed up production and make the companies more profit through efficiencies. Most of these industrial machines were purpose built to produce a certain type of stitch or embroidery. For this reason they were not practical for in home use. Plus, the price was more than the average person could afford but that would change.

The largescale selling of in-home sewing machines didn't really begin until just before 1900. It did create a whole new marketplace, though, as people could now create their own clothing with much less work than before. The first few machines were not very compact but they did work better than doing it the manual way. However, over the years many improvements were made.

With so many years of sewing machine production in this country there is a large amount of antique models to buy. People have embraced the historic machines and the collectible industry has never been stronger. It is very interesting to see how much today's models have progressed over what was offered many years ago. It's also great to familiarize yourself with the origins of the sewing industry.

Today's sewing machines use electricity for power but the very first sewing machine would use either a foot pedal or hand crank. The first machines also were quite a bit larger and heavier than what you can buy today. Today you can find a smaller machine that is portable so you can literally take it anywhere you need to. Also, the stitch quality has greatly improved over the years but this is to be expected.

Since so many antique sewing machines are running strong today you really know just how well designed they are. Sure it can be hard to find parts for a machine that is that old but many companies do still stock them. Also, the various antique collectors and dealers can get you just about anything you need to keep your sewer running strong for a long time.

For well over a hundred years the companies have been improving their sewing machines. People have become very adept at creating unique designs using many types of fabrics. This evolution will continue as an entire industry has evolved into one of the largest you can find today. - 32371

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here