Sewing has been a popular hobby for many years now. It allows you to express yourself through your creations, and it’s a hobby that can benefit your well-being. However, for many years, there has been an argument amongst sewers over the best sewing machine brand. In this article, we will talk about the Singer sewing machine history, including where it all began, and why this brand is now considered one of the best brands in the world:
1846 – Where it All Began
Elias Howe was the first person to create a sewing machine in 1846. He charged exorbitant licensing fees to anyone who tried to build anything remotely similar.
1850 – Isaac Merritt Singer
The Singer sewing machine dates back over 160 years. It first began with a man called Isaac Merritt Singer. Isaac Singer was an inventor who created the first straight-stitch machine. He did this in a machine shop in Boston, America, costing just $40. He called this sewing machine model the Standard 1.
1851 – Joining Forces
In 1851, the Singer Sewing Machine Company joined forces with an attorney at law from New York City. His name was Edward B. Clark.
1853 – Relocation
Just two years later, Isaac Singer decided to relocate to New York. At the same time, he changed the company’s trade name to Singer Manufacturing Company. Once settled in New York, Singer and his trusty law attorney got to work manufacturing machines, the first of which were sold for just $100.
1854 – Lawsuit
Elias Howe filed a lawsuit against Singer in 1854 after discovering Singer had used the lock stitch and the eye-pointed needle he had developed. Singer was sued for patent infringement. And although Howe won his case, Singer wasn’t stopped from producing his machines.
1855 – Singer Became Award Winning
The Singer Brand was awarded its first prize for sewing machines at a World’s Fair in Paris.
1856 – Accepted Payment in Instalments
By 1856, sewing was becoming increasingly popular. More and more people wanted to start sewing as a hobby. However, many of them were unable to afford to buy a machine. To overcome this issue, Edward Clark put forward the idea of paying in instalments, and this method was soon utilised, meaning people who couldn’t afford to buy a machine outright could afford to start sewing.
Singer manufactured a new sewing machine called the Turtleback in the same year. This machine was a much more practical sewing machine as it was much lighter than the first model they created.
1857 – New Head Office Opened
Due to the increasing popularity of the Singer machines, Edward Clark and Isaac Singer decided to expand the business by opening a new head office in New York and a shop at 458 Broadway. At the same time, they expanded their operations in Europe, making them the first global sewing machine company.
1863 – Patents
By 1863, the Singer brand had released a whopping 22 different machines. All of these machines had patents to prevent others from copying their design.
1867 – Production Abroad
In 1867, a Singer sewing machine factory was opened in Kilbowie Clydebank, Scotland. This gave the company the title of the first overseas company in the world. During this year, Singer also introduced its well-known logo, the “Red S Girl.”
1886 – Expanding Abroad
19 years after expanding in Scotland, Singer decided to expand further by offering Singer sewing machines in countries like Turkey.
1889 – Electric Machines
It wasn’t until 1889 that electric sewing machines became available to buy. Once again, the Singer Sewing Machine company created the very first ones.
1891 – Sewing Machine Adverts
By 1891, Singer was popular worldwide, but this didn’t stop them from trying to become even more popular. To do this, they released an advertising campaign to the world, stating, “The sun never sets on a Singer sewing machine at work!”.
1895 – Boom in Sewing Machine Sales
The advertising campaign worked a treat, as in 1895, over 14 million Singer machines were manufactured and sold worldwide.
1904 – Opened a Dealer in Turkey
Singer opened its first dealer in Turkey in 1904, making it the first foreign company to do this and issue invoices.
1910 – A New Advertising Campaign was Released
The first Singer advertising campaign was released in Turkey. This campaign stated that intelligent people know that the Singer brand is the most superior brand of sewing machines.
1913 – Another Boom in Sales
By 1913, Singer was selling over three million machines in a year, making them the world’s biggest manufacturer of sewing machines.
1927 – Singer Started Offering Sewing Courses
Singer opened its first free sewing course in New York City, making it the first company to do this. It delivered training on embroidery and tailored sewing.
1933 – A New Model Was Released
Each time a new model was introduced, it got lighter and more practical. The new model in 1933 was no exception to this. The featherweight model was a lightweight sewing machine that, thanks to its popularity, remained in production until 1964.
1935-1945 – The Second World War
During the Second World War, Singer halted production of its machines. Instead, it manufactured items for war.
1962 – A Zigzag Machine was Introduced
The first zigzag machine was introduced to the sewing machine market in 1962.
1978 – A Memory Sewing Machine was Created
It wasn’t until 1978 that the first memory sewing machine was created. The 1978 Singer was popular in countries all around the world.
1990-1998 – The Quantum Series was Released
Singer created a quantum series during the years 1990 and 1998. This series was notoriously easy to use.
1990 – Teamed up with Nintendo
In 1990, Singer teamed up with Nintendo to manufacture a fully computerised sewing machine. This machine was offered for sale just one year later.
2004 – Singer Closed its Factory in Turkey
The Singer factory in Turkey was closed in 2004. After its closure, Singer sewing machines began being manufactured in countries worldwide.
2005 – Introduced Cheaper Embroidery Machine
The Singer brand created the Futura machine. This machine was an affordable computer-enabled embroidery machine.
2010 – New Embroidery Machine Released
Just five years later, Singer released the second generation Futura machine, the XL 400.
2017 – The Sewing Machine App
Singer launched the world’s first sewing assistant app in 2017. This app helped sewers overcome issues they faced.
As you can see, the Singer Brand has a long history that dates back hundreds of years. During this time, they have had many firsts, including becoming the first company to open a store in Turkey. We think Singer is one of the best sewing machine manufacturers in the world. We stock some of the most popular brands of sewing machine. Shop now for Singer sewing machines.
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