Sewing Machine
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Sewing Machine. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a machine for sewing or stitching cloth, leather, etc. well-known The various forms of this now and almost universally used machine are . The inall of quite recent introduction pointed needle with vention of the doublecenter, in the year 1755, an eye in the marked a distinct advance toward the machine, and it invention of the sewing a form of machine for was itself used in producing the "shoemaker's stitch." In pointed needle the the eye of the double- , and by a sewing thread was fastened fingers pair of grippers or mechanical the needle was pushed and pulled altersides of two nately from the opposite folds of the material to be sewed. In 1830 Barthelemy Thimonier, a Frenchman, obtained in his native counform of sewing machine try a patent for a which was for some time successfully in effect the parworked, and which was single-thread machines now in ent of the which use. In Thimonier's apparatus, wood, the was constructed largely of table "thread carrier was placed under the was laid. whereon the fabric to be sewed The needle was in the form of a crochet having a descending and ascendhook, and , ing motion, it passed through the cloth brought up a loop of thread, which was caught and retained by a nipple till the hooked needle brought up a second loop. loop No. The second loop passed through 1, which thereupon was released and drawn tight, a chain stitch was thus formed, and the cloth being moved forward the length of a stitch, the process was repeated and continued . Between 1832 and 1834, Walter Hunt, a New York mechanician , invented and sold several sewing machines which made a practical lock stitch. He, however , neglected to apply for a patent. The invention of the eye-pointed needle by Newton & Archibald, patented in 1841, and applied by them to the stitching and tamboring of the back of gloves, formed the most important step in the progress of developing the sewing machine , and in no essential principle did their machine differ from the singlethread machines now in use. In 1844 an invention by John Fisher was patented jointly with James Gibbons, in which a shuttle and needle were used for producing a lock stitch, and by a different combination the patent covered the production of what subsequently was known as the Grover & Baker, or knotted stitch. Elias Howe's invention was patented in the United States by himself, and in England by William Thomas in 1846. Howe, after several years' labor and study, worked out the idea of his sewing machine without any guidance from or knowledge of what had been previously accomplished ; and he moreover secured such effective combinations of parts as made the Howe machine in reality the acknowledged parent of all the forms since introduced. His patent-right for Great Britain was sold for $1,250 to Mr. Thomas, in whose employment Mr. Howe worked for about two years. On returning to the United States in 1849, Howe found that notwithstanding his patent right, several individuals had made, exhibited, and used sewing machines, though not a single machine had yet been made in the United States under his patent. He had, therefore, to face the task of vindicating his rights. It was not till the end of 1850 that the manufacture of his machine actually began, and it was 1854 before a decision in his favor against I. M. Singer was obtained. The modifications, improvements, and additions made to the sewing machine since its introduction are innumerable . It has now been adapted to produce almost all kinds of stitching which can be done by the hand; and every variety of work required on garments. The leading classes of machines are: (1) Singlethread machines, (2) machines with two or more threads, and (3) overhead or glove-stitch machines. Single-thread Machines. The stitch made by the ordinary form of single thread machine is precisely what is known as the crochet stitch, and when the thread is broken at any point the whole work readily undoes. Ordinary single -thread machines, unless for limited applications, such as glove embroidery, are passing out of general use. It is different, however, from the Wilcox & Gibbs single-thread machine, in which a revolving double hook or looper is employed which gives each loop a twist and produces thereby the twisted chain stitch, combining a solid fastening with great elasticity and smoothness. Two-thread Machines. - Of these machines two subdivisions may be recognized the lock stitch, and the knotted or double chain stitch , commonly called the Grover & Baker machines. Of these, the lock stitch machines are by far the most common, and for general_purposes are in almost universal use. For producing the lock stitch there are two forms of apparatus: (1) the reciprocating shuttle which carries a thread through ough the loop made by the needle, and (2) the lenticular spool or thread case over which the loop is passed by a revolving hook. Of the first kind-shuttle machines -the Howe, the Singer, the Wanzer, and others are familiar forms; the second , or spool and hook appliance, is a peculiarity of the Wheeler & Wilson alone . The needle was originally fixed at the end of a vibrating arm, and, describing the arc of a circle, it required to be curved . Singer first introduced the straight needle carried by a slide, and it now is in general use. Next to the invention of the eyepointed needle the designing of an efficient feed motion was the most important improvement made in the sewing machine. Singer introduced what is called the wheel feed, but the plan now adopted is one of the many ingenious and beautiful mechanical devices introduced by A. B. Wilson, of Wheeler & Wilson. It is called the four-motion feed, and consists of a serrated plate to which a forward, down, backward, and upward motion is communicated, the forward and backward motion being varied according to the length of stitch. The tension of the thread in the shuttle is maintained by a small nipping spring which presses against the thread. In the Wheeler & Wilson machine the use of the shuttle is entirely avoided, and the lock stitch is formed by carrying the loop from the upper thread over and around the under thread, which is contained within a small lenticular spool, which fits snugly but free in a recess in the side of the revolving hook. This exceedingly ingenious device, together with the fourmotion feed above alluded to, place Mr. Wilson , their inventor, in the front rank of improvers of the sewing machine. The Wheeler & Wilson machine works with great ease and smoothness, and as the machine can be noiselessly worked at a high speed, it is a great favorite for general domestic and light manufacturing uses. The ordinary Grover & Baker machine makes a knotted or double loop chain stitch of a complex character. For general purposes it is not now in great favor, owing 6 5 e 68 3 7 8 6. Adjusting Screw. 1, Mirror. 7. Black Shade Glasses. 2. Telescope. 3. Handle. 8. Arc. 9. Index Tangent Screw. 4. Shade Glasses. 5. Horizon Glasses. 10. Sliding Limb. to the ridged nature of the seam it makes, and to the considerable waste of thread the peculiar nature of the stitch involves. Overhead Machines. In overhead stitching two edges are sewed together by the thread passing over and binding in their outer extremities, a style of sewing generally seen in gloves and invariably used for sacks. In order to effect the sewing of sacks with this stitch by machinery, many attempts have been made, and some of them have attained a degree of practical success. In Laing's overhead machine, invented and manufactured in Dundee, a helical needle is employed, which in its motion of rotation passes from end to end to the sack seam, drawing the thread through with it.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
a contrivance for stitching or sewing, the needle being driven by machinery instead of by hand. The eye of the sewing-machine needle is near the point. The point of the needle is thrust through the fabric carrying with it a loop of the thread. In sewing by hand, the needle is passed entirely through the fabric drawing the thread after it, but the needle of the sewing machine is simply thrust through the fabric and withdrawn again leaving a loop behind. The chain stitch is made with a single thread. The loop of each stitch passes through, and secures the loop of the previous stitch, very much as in the case of crocheting or knitting. In the lock stitch a second thread carried by a shuttle passes through the loops and secures them. The lock stitch is by far the safer as it cannot be unraveled readily. The credit of inventing the sewing machine has been ascribed to Elias Howe who took out a patent in 1846. He was not the first in the field, however, numerous patents having been granted previously both in England and France. A patent was granted in England in 1790. In 1841 a mob destroyed eighty sewing machines used in making clothing for the French army. Howe made several improvements. The lock stitch appears to be his invention. Other names associated with that of Howe are those of Bachelder, Wilson, and Singer, who patented various improvements, such as an automatic feed, an overhanging arm through which the needle is driven in a vertical direction, and so on. In 1855 the various inventors and companies between whom litigation had arisen came to an agreement whereby they consented to allow any manufacturer to use their devices on the payment of a royalty. From this time on the manufacture of machines increased rapidly. A recent writer estimates that $90,000,000 worth of American sewing machines have been sold abroad in competition with British, French, and German makes. At the present time New Jersey leads in their manufacture, followed by Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York in the order named. The following statistics from the United States census for 1900 give some idea of the magnitude to which this industry has risen: Number of manufactories ..... 58 Wage earners ..... 10,635 Annual wages ..... $6,213,938 Capital invested ..... $18,739,459 Value of machines made in 1899 ..... $18,314,419 To this total nearly $1,000,000 must be added for repairs, and about $3,000,000 for sewing machine cases made in cabinet establishments. As is now the case with watches, reapers, and many other machines, the various manufacturers buy parts ready made. The shuttles, for instance, of twenty different sewing machines may be identical,--all made in some special factory. 2026 Editor's Note: The sewing machine was the first mass consumer durable — sold on installment plans Singer invented — and in 1910 both a household liberator and the sweatshop's engine. See sewing machine . (Ed: BR 2026-06-02)