- Barthelemy Thimonnier, a French tailor, developed the first mainstream sewing machine in 1830. His machine used a chain stitch to sew straight seams. He quickly built a factory and set up more than 80 machines, sparking a textile industrial revolution that resulted in riots and the destruction of his factory by French tailors. The French tailors were furious because they thought the new machines would put them out of work.
- The sewing machine hit America in 1842, after John Greenough and Elias Howe each patented their versions of the machine. Howe's machine held fabric vertically and used a needle with a slight groove, allowing it to run more smoothly. Isaac Merritt Singer developed his version that featured a flying shuttle, a mounted needle with a fixed arm, a tensioning system and a foot pedal to hold the material in position. Joseph M. Merrow invented the crochet machine in 1877, which was an over-lock sewing machine. Electric sewing machines hit the market in the early 20th century.
- The most common sewing machines use the lockstitch function. These have a single needle, a shuttle and two threads. The needle presses one thread into the fabric as the shuttle interlaces it with the second thread. Chain stitch machines are used for more specific types of stitching such as sealing large bags of rice. They are commonly used in factories for back-up and safety stitching. Over-lock sewing machines can use up to four threads, two loopers and two needles. These machines are popular machines for home users.
- Most sewing machines use needles, bobbins, loopers and a type of feed mechanism, such as a drop feed, manual feed, puller, needle feed or a walking foot. The most popular feed mechanism in both industrial and household sewing machines use the drop feed mechanism because it is simple and efficient.
- Although sewing machines were a vital part of many households for more than 100 years, the popularity of sewing machines have been in the decline in recent decades. It is estimated that less than 10 percent of American households have sewing machines that are used more than once a month. Most modern sewing machines are made in Asia and are primarily sold to businesses rather than individuals.
