Celebrated annually on June 13th, National Sewing Machine Day is a holiday that pays homage to the machine first invented in 1846, which continues to help people not only keep their clothes stitched but also assists with craft projects. Even though the average person might not think about how the stitches in their clothing got there, they benefit from them nonetheless. So why not take a few moments out of your busy day to help celebrate the humble sewing machine?

The History Of The Sewing Machine

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find the history of National Sewing Machine Day. However, we did uncover the history of the sewing machine, and it all starts with a man named Charles Frederick Wiesenthal. Even though Charles Frederick Wiesenthal was awarded the first patent for a device to aid in sewing in 1755, this invention only consisted of a double-pointed needle. This was the first known mechanical device for sewing. In 1790, Englishman Thomas Saint designed a sewing machine that featured a chain stitch style and was designed for leatherwork and canvas goods. He never built the machine, however.

In 1829, a French inventor named Barthélemy Thimonnier patented a chain-stitch machine in 1830. This sewing machine was extremely successful, and it allowed him to create the first machine-based sewing factory in the world. This factory would stitch uniforms for the French Army.

In the U.S., John Greenough patented this country’s first sewing machine in 1842. Two years later, he would create a sewing machine that many people consider to be the first one to bring together all the different design elements found in other sewing machines to become what would be the prototype for modern sewing machines.

In the mid-19th century, four sewing machine manufacturers came together to form the Sewing Machine Combination. This was the first patent pool used in America, and it allowed four companies to share their patents with one another to create a powerful sewing machine monopoly. The four companies in this monopoly were Singer Manufacturing Co., Howe Machine Company, Grover and Baker, and Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Co. Smaller sewing machine companies had to pay this cartel $15 for every one of their machines sold. However, this would end in 1877 when the last patent owned by the monopoly expired. Smaller firms would no longer have to pay royalties to sell their machines. This resulted in more companies producing more sewing machine models.

Observing National Sewing Machine Day

National Sewing Machine Day is a holiday that people can observe by sharing tips and tricks with their fellow sewists, posting pictures of items they’ve stitched, or even giving other people recommendations on the best sewing machines and supplies. While observing this holiday, people can not only share tips and tricks with people they know but can also share them with strangers via the Internet using the hashtag #NationalSewingMachineDay.