timeline

1790
Thomas Saint

English cabinetmaker Thomas Saint made plans for a machine that could stitch leather. Designs showcased a flat plate and hand crank. It’s dubious if it was ever built, though Newton Wilson of London built a version based on Saint’s designs.

1814
Josef Madersperger

Madersperger was a Viennese tailor granted a patent on a design for a sewing machine first designed to stitch straight lines, and then later embroidery. Due to the poor reliability of his machines, he never made them publicly available.

1830
Barthalemy Thimmonier

French tailor that created the first mechanical sewing machine that used a hooked and barbed needle to produce a chain stitch.

1832
Walter Hunt

American inventor that created the first American sewing machine. Two needles were used to create a lock stitch seam. He abandoned his machine in 1838, believing he’d put seamstresses out of work.

1846