| The practice of sewing, as in using thread and needle | | | | found that fibers from plants and animals could be |
| to attach various kinds of material, has been dated to | | | | spun together to make thread. The ancient Egyptians |
| at least 20,000 years ago. Sewing is practically a | | | | made thread by spinning these fibers together, and |
| universal occurrence, and the actual beginnings of it | | | | devised methods of dying the thread using berries and |
| stretch back to the beginnings of history. It predates | | | | plant matter. In China and Japan, silk fibers taken from |
| the weaving of cloth by many centuries, and was | | | | the cocoon of the silk worm was spun to make very |
| used to stitch together hides, furs, and bark for clothing | | | | fine thread. |
| and other uses. | | | | For most of the history of sewing, it was done by |
| Early sewing needles were made from bone, wood, or | | | | hand. From the simplest stitches to ornate decorative |
| natural needles taken from plants as Native Americans | | | | work was done with a needle, thread and a steady |
| did with the agave plant. The earliest verified sewing | | | | hand. It remained so until the first patent for a machine |
| needles made from iron date back to the third century | | | | that "emulated hand sewing" in 1790 in England. It is not |
| B.C.E. and were found in what is now Germany. | | | | known whether there ever was a machine built from |
| Chinese archaeologists report finding a complete set | | | | the 1790 patent. |
| of iron sewing needles and thimbles in a tomb dating | | | | The first functioning sewing machine was issued a |
| from the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220) in China. This | | | | patent to Barthelemy Thimonnier in France in 1830. It |
| is the earliest known example of a thimble in history. | | | | used a single thread and a hooked needle to make a |
| The thimble was developed to assist early sewers to | | | | chain stitch similar to the one used in hand embroidery. |
| push needles through thick hides and furs, and was | | | | The inventor was nearly killed when enraged French |
| first made from bone, wood, leather, sometimes glass | | | | tailors rioted and burned down his garment factory |
| and porcelain. Later thimbles began to be made from | | | | because they feared the machine would cause |
| metal, and before the 18th century dimples in a thimble | | | | unemployment. In 1846 the American Elias Howe was |
| had to be punched into it by hand. The thimble also | | | | issued a patent for his machine, but the mass |
| became an object of beauty with thimbles made from | | | | production of the machines did not happen until the |
| precious and semi-precious stones, and precious | | | | 1850's when Isaac Singer built the first truly successful |
| metals. | | | | sewing machine. With needle, thread, thimble and |
| The first thread was made from plant fibers and | | | | machine, the art and craft of it has not only formed |
| animal sinew, which was used to sew together hides | | | | items for our use and comfort. Sewing has helped |
| and furs for clothing, blankets and shelter. Later it was | | | | form civilization itself. |