19th Century
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Key Terms
Sewing Machine- Before the invention of the sewing machine
people had to create garments by hand.
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In 1846, the first American patent was issued to Elias Howe for "a
process that used thread from two different sources."
Elias Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point. The
needle was pushed through the cloth and created a loop on the other
side; a shuttle on a track then slipped the second thread through the
loop, creating what is called the lockstitch.
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Key Terms Continued
• Sewing machines did not go into mass production until the
1850's, when Isaac Singer built the first commercially
successful machine.
• Singer built the first sewing machine where the needle moved
up and down rather than the side-to-side and the needle was
powered by a foot treadle.
• Previous machines were all hand-cranked. However, Isaac
Singer's machine used the same lockstitch that Howe had
patented.
• Elias Howe sued Isaac Singer for patent infringement and won
in 1854.
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Sewing Machine Videos
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Video 1
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Video 2
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Ebenezer Butterick- changed the
face of home sewing forever by
creating the first graded
(different sizes) sewing pattern.
The company he founded
continues to lead the way in
make-it-yourself fashions 150
years later.
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In the beginning, he only offered
men's' and boys' patterns.
In 1866 they began offering
women's' dress patterns.
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Paper Pattern- A pattern in sewing and fashion
design is the paper or cardboard template from
which the parts of a garment are traced onto
fabric before cutting out and assembling
Before Paper Patterns, people who sewed
would lay out their fabrics and then hand draw
the fabric cuts they wanted to made.
Ellen Butterick, wife of Ebenezer, remarked to
her husband how handy it would be if she had
some sort of pattern to guide her in making her
fabric cuts, a pattern that was the correct size for
her son. Thus paper patterns were born.
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Charles Worth- a fashion designer who is widely
considered the Father of Haute Couture.
He is credited as the first designer to put labels
onto the clothing he manufactured.
Worth's designs are notable for his use of lavish
fabrics and trimmings, his incorporation of
elements of historic dress, and his attention to fit.
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Ready-to-Wear; is the term for factory-made
clothing, sold in finished condition, and in
standardized sizes.
Also called prêt-à-porter.
Military uniforms were the first ready-to-wear
garments to be mass-produced during the War of
1812.
High-quality ready-to-wear garments for men
became generally available soon thereafter.
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Levi Strauss-the inventor of the quintessential
American garment, the blue jean.
In 1872 Jacob Davis, a Reno Nevada tailor, writes
to Levi Strauss, telling him about the process he
invented to rivet the pocket corners on men’s
pants to make them stronger. He suggests the two
men take out a patent on the process together and
Levi agrees.
In 1873 Levi Strauss & Jacob Davis are granted a
patent on the process of riveting pants by the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office on May 20. It is
patent number 139,121 and this is the invention of
the blue jean.
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Originally called waist overalls
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Levi Srauss Videos/Articles
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http://www.levistrauss.com/about/heritage
http://us.levi.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=18816
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http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levistrauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-bluejeans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzJtv14Ieb4
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