June 21, 1987
By Helen M. Fagg
Vigo County Historical Society
Threads of time
Small sewing machine toy or real?
Today, few people of the space age would consider the sewing machine--adult or child size--as a revolutionary invention, but it brought about radical changes in industry and in the home.
It is impossible to write about the small sewing machine without telling about the regular-size machines, because the small models were exact copies of the large ones. It has been disputed by some whether the small models actually were made for children or for adults to use for small items.
The invention of this amazing little piece of machinery usually is credited to Elias Howe in 1846, but it actually was the combined work of at least five inventors, each of whom had thought of a design for some part of the complete product. Howe benefited by using the results of their work, since they were not patented, and came up with a workable machine. When the inventors finally wiped away the image of hand sewing and thought of a sewing machine as something entirely different, the machine began to take shape, but it was a long time in the making.
The idea of the sewing machine was to make a needle with an eye near the sharp end which would carry the thread through the cloth, then have some kind of shuttle which would tighten the thread in some manner so the needle could bring it back to the surface of the material. This would be repeated time and again to produce rows of uniform stitches.
The operation was accomplished by a hand-turned wheel, and later with the treadle operated by the foot. This all sounds very simple, but several men lost entire fortunes and even suffered bodily harm in an effort to produce the sewing machine.
The Singer Co. produced the first really practical machine in regular size. The smaller size followed almost immediately.
The “Encyclopedia of Toys” states that the first small models appeared around 1860. They were copies of the larger machine, whimsically decorated with designs in gold and bright colors. These models had surprisingly heavy wheels and bases and could be held firmly in place with a clamp which screwed to the table top.
Singer was the first to come out with a neat little treadle model which had side pieces of ironwork and hardwood table base.
F.W. Miller of Berlin created some 20 different models in the small size. A few figural models using a clown, a horse, or a woman, were made. The head bobbed up and down and the arm or feet moved as the machine sewed. These models are extremely rare and now are found only in museums.
During the latter part of the 19th century the toy sewing machine was considered an essential part of nursery equipment. Little girls were taught the fine art of sewing by constructing clothes for their dolls.
In 1850 the cost of a regular-size machine was $125, but by 1870 the average price was $64. The smaller models were not much lower as they were exact working models and were improved as the larger ones were improved.
Since most families did not have all of the cash needed to purchase the machine, a plan of “time payment” came into use. The sewing machine, large or small, soon became a part of almost every household.
In research for this article, I discovered several very interesting books in the Vigo County Public Library. “The Sewing Machine,” by Beatrice Siegel, and “A Capitalist Romance--Singer and the Sewing Machine,” by Ruth Brandon, were particularly helpful. The “Encyclopedia of Toys” has several good photographs of the early models.
The small machine in the museum is marked “Reliable.” It is lavishly decorated in gold and red. It still is in working order.
Since World War II the small sewing machines are often considered toys and do not have the elegance and durability of the ones made in the United State and Germany during the 19th century.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.