But if you do not own a sewing machine, the purchase of a fine, modern one can be a major expense. However, a simpler machine, perhaps even a treadle-operated one, can serve very well, and one of these can be obtained for much less.

If you are perhaps thinking about making clothes without a sewing machine, it will be much more time consuming. The machine is invaluable to the sewer, as evidenced by what happened in the 1830’s when the French inventor Barthélemy Thimonnier put into operation the first sewing machines. An angry mob of tailors wrecked them all and threatened his life because of fear of losing their livelihood.

The first sewing machines were powered by turning a hand crank, and in some places these early types are still used. The treadle-operated machine was an improvement, since it allows the sewer to use both hands to guide the garment being worked on. Practically all machines now sold in the United States are electric powered. To give some idea of the value of modern sewing equipment: A pair of trousers that took some eighteen hours to sew by hand in 1857 can be turned out in a modern factory in only twenty minutes! A sewing machine is indeed a valuable aid.

The sewing machine was introduced around the middle of the last century; prior to that all clothes were hand sewn.