The history of the sewing machine. Interesting facts about sewing machines

The subject of our article is the history of the sewing machine. We will talk about when the first machine was born and who it was created. Consider the history of the most famous firm for the production of machines - "Singer". And we will try to find out when the first sewing machines appeared in Russia.

How it all began

The history of the creation of the first sewing machine began at the very moment when our distant progenitor first took up a bone needle. Note that this tool then resembled an awl more than a needle. Later, a hook was invented to thread the thread through punched holes in the fabric. And after that, there is already a needle with an eye. And the hole for the thread was made at the very base of the needle, as in modern typewriters.

However, a kind of sewing machine appeared only in the 14th century in Holland. At this time, sewing workshops were first equipped with wheeled machines that sewed long canvas cloths. Unfortunately, the name of the inventor of this design has not reached us. However, it is known that such constructions were very large and occupied a huge place. The Dutch machine was not at all like modern sewing machines.

The first project

It was not without Leonardo da Vinci's involvement in the history of the sewing machine. Grade 5 ("Technology" - this subject is considered in this subject), studying history, according to the new school program, covers the creation of household appliances. In this respect, the children will be interested to know that the first design of the sewing machine was proposed by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century. However, the idea of a great scientist was never realized.

And only in 1755 Karl Weizental was able to obtain a patent for the invention of a sewing machine, which copied stitches made by hand. And in 1790 Toma Saint created a typewriter designed for sewing boots. Then he created his model of sewing machine B. Timonier. However, all these mechanisms were not common.

And it was not until early 1845 that Elliam Howe created a machine that was really fit for sewing, although it had many shortcomings.

The appearance of the first garment factory

The history of creating a sewing machine continues. Grade 5, briefly acquainted with the above information, for sure to be interested in the fact that the first sewing machine, more or less similar to the modern, appeared in the 18th century.

All the above mentioned inventions only recreated manual sewing and could sew only in one thread. In this case, the fabric must have been in a vertical position, and the seam itself was quite easily dismissed. However, this did not stop Barthelemy Timoniev in 1830 became the founder of the first automated sewing factory, which was equipped with these most imperfect first mechanisms.

The history of the Singer sewing machine

It all started in a small workshop specializing in the repair of sewing machines. Here worked Isaac Singer, a self-taught engineer. Once, when he had to repair another imperfect unit, he told his master that he himself could have come up with something better than the permanently worn out apparatus. The owner did not believe him. Then Singer took 40 dollars from a friend and built a new sewing machine. It took him exactly 11 days to work.

This device made it possible to make not only straight seams, but any. At the same time, the fabric was pressed to the tabletop with a special "paw", and the mechanism itself was actuated by a comfortable foot pedal, which freed the hands of the dressmaker and allowed him to hold and guide the fabric. However, Singer did not stop there, continuing to improve his invention.

Marketing of Singer

We can say that it is with Singer that the real story of the sewing machine begins. To put it briefly about the merits of this man, it is necessary to mention that his success is due not only to engineering skills, but also to his marketing decisions. For example, Singer quickly realized that the main customers of his goods are women. There were no journals then, but all the women of the fair sex systematically visited the church. Then Singer began distributing promotional brochures of his machines along with religious ones.

The history of the sewing machine, in addition to all the above, includes another remarkable fact. It was Singer who became the first manufacturer of sewing machines, who decided to sell spare parts for repair from the units separately. In addition, this event can be called the first example in the history of the "after-sales" service.

19th-20th century

At this time, the history of the sewing machine, we can say, reaches its climax. The fact is that it was at the end of 19 and throughout the 20th century that sewing machines became incredibly popular. They are bought and sold in huge batches.

There are all new and new companies producing these units, for example: Verits, Pfaff, Kaizer and a number of others. Nevertheless, Singer remains the world leader in the number of machine sales.

Russia

Includes the appearance on the Russian market of the history of the sewing machine. 5 class, whose students are just beginning to get acquainted with the history, should know about when the first machines began to appear in our country.

For the first time in 1866, a factory was opened in Russia for the production of sewing machines. Its founder was Robert Goetz, and it was located in St. Petersburg. Later this production was expanded by Leon Casteljon, having adjusted manufacture of various kinds of machines.

In these years, sewing machines are becoming incredibly popular - they are considered the best gifts and dowries.

Singer in Russia

It was not without the company "Singer" and the Russian history of creating a sewing machine. 5 class must be interested in such information.

So, in 1902 in Podolsk the factory for the production of Singer machines was founded. By the way, it works to this day. Initially, the enterprise had several small workshops, where cars were assembled. However, later the factory expanded so that it had 65 offices in various regions of the country. At the same time, the Singer cooperated first with the Imperial Court, and then with the Soviet authorities.

Interesting Facts

The story of a sewing machine is very interesting in itself. Tell the children, however, it will be better to have interesting facts related to it. It will be difficult for them to listen to a long story, but a few bright historical events will be well remembered by them.

It starts with several fascinating facts about the company "Singer" and its product. So, the first machines of this company were very expensive - $ 125. For those times it was the budget of an ordinary American family in about 3 months. It should be noted that sewing usually earned single women or widows, whose income was much less. Then Singer took, you can say, a fateful decision: to sell cars in installments. This step increased sales to 1,000 copies per year. And by 1875 his company's turnover had grown 200 times. This jump helped to reduce the cost of the machine from $ 200 to $ 10.

The history of creating a sewing machine is rich in another entertaining fact related to Singer. He has no direct relationship to the sewing machines themselves, but deserves mention. In 1908, the corporation rebuilt the building, which was the first skyscraper in New York - it numbered 47 floors. There was a miracle at Broadway, house 149.

In the time of Mao Zedong in China there was a saying that characterized the well-being of the family: "One speaker, three spinning." This meant that the family has a clock, a sewing machine, a radio and a bicycle.

From the 1990s to the 2000s there was a rumor that some parts of old sewing machines were made of various precious metals, for example, from palladium and platinum. This explains the appearance of many buyers of rarities. In 2001, because of this myth, a crime occurred - teenagers killed a pensioner and took out of her apartment an old sewing machine. Of course, information about precious metals has nothing to do with the truth.

As noted above, today the history of the sewing machine is also studied in school. Grade 5 (GEF is a new curriculum that includes this topic), for example, studying this issue in technology lessons.

And among the interesting facts that you can tell the children about the history of the machine, there is a very recent incident. In 2012, a deputy from the Rostov region, Leonid Shafirov, invented a method that could increase the employment of mothers of large families and single mothers in one of the most backward mining regions-he distributed about 100 sewing machines to women free of charge. The action was held in two cities. To receive the machine it was necessary to send an application to the deputy and written confirmation from relatives and neighbors that the mother of many children knows how to sew.

The history of sewing machine and iron

Along with the history of the sewing machine, you can talk about such an irreplaceable subject today, like an iron. This household appliance has a very ancient history. According to archaeologists, the likeness of the iron was used already in the 4th century BC. E. In ancient Greece. Initially, it was a heated stone, with which the clothes were smoothed. And it was only in the 18th century that a cast iron appeared, which in shape was similar to the modern one. As for the electric iron, it appeared in 1903, and was created by Earl Richardson.

Thus, the history of household appliances can be no less interesting than the history of civilization.