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The Sewing Machine

he sewing machine revolutionized the clothing industry.  For the first time it allowed the mass production of clothing.  In 1846 Elias Howe patented the first successful sewing machine. Unable to stir up interest for his sewing machine in America, Howe went to England to sell his invention. 

Isaac Singer

While repairing a sewing machine, Isaac Singer believed he could create a more practical one.  Singer patented the foot treadle in 1851.  The I.M. Singer Domestic Sewing Machine Company resulted. Singer created the first electric sewing machine in 1889, however, the foot-operated machine proved be more popular.

The Butterick Pattern

The creation of the paper pattern, by Ebenezer Butterick in 1863, transformed the garment industry.  Together with the sewing machine, women across America, and later the world, were able to sew the latest styles at a reasonable cost.

The Butterick Company ventured into publishing with women’s interest magazines, the most notable being The Delineator (1872-1937). The Delineator and the Sears Roebuck & Company catalogue along with many other women’s magazines helped create the popular fashion culture of the time.  Fashion magazines, paper patterns, mail-order catalogues and chain department stores allowed women in rural America to dress as fashionably as women from major cities.  Fashion was accessible, affordable and unified.

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