Today we're commemorating the birth of Elias Howe, whose 204th birthday is this Sunday, July 9!
Commonly credited as the inventor of the sewing machine, Howe had a profound influence on modern sewing.
Really, no one single person invented the sewing machine as we know it; several individuals worked on prototypes in the early part of the 19th century.
The first sewing machines did not have a bobbin, but created a chain stitch with a single thread.
Howe filed a patent in 1846 for a machine that used a lock-stitch similar to what we still use today. An upper spool of thread worked together with a bobbin thread to create a more secure stitch than the previous chain-stitch models.
Howe's machine looks pretty different than our modern machines, but the basic operation is essentially the same!
Check out all our Friday Fun Facts in the archive here!
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