{"id":11114,"date":"2023-12-31T06:45:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-31T05:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sewingfaq.com\/?p=11114"},"modified":"2023-12-31T06:45:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T05:45:55","slug":"who-invented-sewing-machine-in-1846","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sewingfaq.com\/who-invented-sewing-machine-in-1846\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Invented Sewing Machine In 1846"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introducing the Inventor, Elias Howe Jr.<\/h2>\n

The inventor of the modern-day sewing machine was Elias Howe Jr., born in Spencer, Massachusetts in 1819. Howe apprenticed with a carpenter and joiner, and in 1835, he partnered with his father to build a cotton-spinning machine. After watching a demonstrator work with a sewing machine created by Thomas Saint in 1845, Howe knew he could do better and began developing plans for his own version. Within only a year, Howe had created a working model of the sewing machine.<\/p>\n

Howe’s sewing machine operated on a “lock stitch” system, a revolutionary mechanism that created two threads entwined between layers of fabric. The threads, when pulled tight, created a permanent “lock” that held the fabric together. This design, not Saint’s chain stitch, ended up being the basis of the modern-day sewing machine.<\/p>\n

Obtaining Patents<\/h2>\n

Though Howe had perfected his invention, he was unable to keep his invention a secret or manufacture it himself. Lacking financial support, Howe decided to pursue a patent for his invention in the United States Patent Office. After an arduous and expensive legal battle, he was ultimately granted the patent in 1846. As the first to file for a patent related to the “lock stitch” sewing machine, Howe won the rights over an 19 other competitors.<\/p>\n

Although the patent granted Howe a period of exclusivity until 1867, various infringements allowed rival sewing machine manufacturers to rely on unlicensed copies and evade paying Howe for his innovation. Without the strong enforcement of the patent law at that time and a significant amount of money invested in the legal process, Howe was only able to make a few hundred dollars even after selling his patent to the Singer Corporation.<\/p>\n

Howe’s Legacy<\/h2>\n