Mystery unveiled
Sewing machines have always baffled and repelled me; I never could get the hang of threading them. I like to crochet, however, and also have wondered how the two interlocking stitching methods compared, which led me to this instructional video.Lots of people developed and perfected the machines, but it was Singer who figured out how to produce them at a price that ordinary homeowners might afford.I note that tailors rioted and destroyed some of the first machines.
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Modern sewing machines for home makers have a self threading function. My wife's machine is a Brother which also does embroidery.
We also have an antique White treadle machine from about 1910 that serves as a tv stand.
Cool video. My wife is on the verge of addiction to them, she got an old singer treadle we rebuilt- she did the metal work and I did the wood repair- every piece of veneer on it was loose. It works fine now! An essential piece of kit for the post collapse world.. It is sort of amazing how long Singer made the same machines-and how well they last- my milling machine is 1942 vintage and it has nothing on those sewing machines!
I note that tailors rioted and destroyed some of the first machines.
Textile workers were the original Luddites, so it's kind of continuing a tradition.
- Tom
There is also knitting, and an interesting story. In 1589, an Englishman named William Lee invented a device called the stocking frame, which aimed to greatly improve the productivity of knitting the material for the stockings that were then in vogue. According to the story, he was motivated to create the machine because when he came to call on a girl he was sweet on, she persisted in paying more attention to her knitting than to him. So his intent was either (a) free up her time so she would have more (hopefully) for him, or (b) get revenge on her for rejecting him. (I’d rather think he was naive (version A) than vicious (version B))
He then arranged to demonstrate the machine to Queen Elizabeth, hoping for a patent. In one version of the story, she expressed disappointment that the machine was only good for wool and told him to come back when it could also handle silk…which enhancement he was indeed able to accomplish. In any case, Elizabeth ultimately rejected the device because of concerns about technological unemployment:
"Thou aimest high, Master Lee. Consider thou what the invention could do to my poor subjects. It would assuredly bring to them ruin by depriving them of employment, thus making them beggars."
The inventor moved to France and was there granted a patent by Henry IV…he began successful manufacturing of stockings in Rouen, but the King’s assassination in 1610 made the political climate for the venture untenable. William Lee lived out the rest of his life in poverty. It appears that in the late 1600s an improved version of the machine was re-introduced to England by Huguenot refugees from France, this time successfully, and further improvements were made over time, including the ability of the machines to work with cotton. These improved versions were however too expensive for most artisans to purchase on their own, and they were generally rented out by the same entrepreneurs who provided the framework knitters with their raw materials and purchased their resultant product.'
Above is from a post I wrote in 2017...it is mainly about the emerging technology of **3D** knitting, but also includes the wonderful coat-of-arms of the Worshipful Brotherhood of Framework Knitters, featuring William Lee and the object of his desire.
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/55377.html
Believe it or not, I knew all of this from my Mom - not the history, but the functionality. She was such a good seamstress that everybody thought her clothing was store-bought. Working first in a typing pool during the 50's and 60's, then later as HUD Executive Director for three counties, she made virtually every item of clothing she wore - from shirts, skirts, and dresses to business suits. When I came home from school and informed her that I was required to wear a dress (or skirt) for my Honor Society induction that night, she took scrap material from a suit she had once made and created a quick wrap-around skirt. Time it took? 20 minutes.
The only thing she refused to do was make something for friends due to the fact that she was such a perfectionist that she would see every little "mistake". The one and only time she did, I watched her completely tear apart and re-sew a black velvet dress for her best friend (my Other Mother) five times because she didn't think the seams were straight enough. In the end, she had to accept what she thought were imperfections and just finish the dress because she was afraid she had was ruining the velvet material with the re-sewing of the same seamline over and over. Her friend cried when she was presented with the dress and adored it so much that she wore it every time she had a special event to attend. She would then relay the many compliments she had received as well as the constant requests for the name of the store from where she had purchased the dress. Several times people simply disbelieved that the item was handmade and would ask to see the tag only to be shown that there wasn't one. She was that good.
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