Sewing Machines

Today I’ll talk more about the sewing machine, an important invention for both European and Indian costuming.

The sewing machine was invented in the 1770s century by an Englishman and revolutionized clothing manufacturing. Though they became popular in homes earlier, the sewing machine perfected by Singer and others was not utilized by factories until the late nineteenth century. The sewing machine allowed many articles of clothing to be created in a short amount of time, as well as ensuring their uniformity. 

Here is what the earliest Singer sewing machines looked like. I like the gold decoration!

As for sewing machines in India, I believe they became popular there the same time as the rest of the world in the late 1800s. Though I have not found any trustworthy source documenting their first use in India, I did find this strange short article from The New York Times in 1879, which has a short story about “the first sewing machine in India.” I find it hard to believe the tale is true, but it is interesting! You can read the short article here.

That's a very brief history of sewing machines. Next week I will be going to England, where I will get to research European costuming in-depth. After that, India! See you then.