Impact of the Invention

The invention of the sewing machine had a huge impact on the clothing industry. It enabled clothes to be made in a fraction of the time that it took to sew by hand, without sacrificing quality. This resulted in a dramatic decrease in the price of garments and an increase in the speed at which fashion could be developed and created.

Clothes manufacturing was no longer a laborious and time consuming process, but something that could be produced quickly and efficiently. This accelerated the growth of the apparel industry and led to the creation of a wide range of garments that were previously unaffordable. The invention of the sewing machine also meant that garments could be made with much more intricate detail.

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The Sewing Machine Combination

In the 1850s, manufacturers were inundated by court cases because there were too many patents which covered individual elements of the working machines. It wasn't just Howe who was suing; it was the owners of many of the smaller patents suing and countersuing one another. This situation is known as a "patent thicket" today.

In 1856, attorney Orlando B. Potter, who represented Grover & Baker, a sewing machine manufacturer who held a patent for a working chain stitch process, had a solution. Potter suggested that the relevant patent owners—Howe, Singer, Grover & Baker, and the most prolific manufacturer of the era, Wheeler and Wilson—should combine their patents into a patent pool. Those four patent-holders collectively owned the patents that covered the 10 elements. Each member of the Sewing Machine Combination would pay into a collective account a $15 license fee for each machine they produced. Those funds were used to build a war chest for ongoing external litigation, and then the rest would be split equitably among the owners.

All of the owners agreed, except for Howe, who wasn't making any machines at all. He was convinced to join the consortium by the promise of a special royalty fee of $5 per machine sold in the United States, and 400 for every machine exported.

While the Combination faced its own issues, including accusations of being a monopoly, the number of litigated cases did drop and manufacturing of the machines began.

Impact on the Society

Howe’s invention also had a positive effect on female empowerment by providing women with the opportunity to work in the clothing industry. Women were able to work in factories and be paid for their labor, leading to greater financial independence. This gave women more agency and choice in their lives.

Finally, the invention has had a positive impact on the economy by creating a demand for more materials and a variety of new jobs. This has helped to create a sustainable economic model and has played an important role in the development of many economies.

The sewing machine has been an influential invention, providing countless benefits to society. Elias Howe’s invention has revolutionized the textile industry, created jobs and new opportunities, and has enabled fashion to become accessible to all. It has had a lasting positive impact on society, and Howe’s legacy will endure for many generations to come.

Geoffrey Kirby

Geoffrey Kirby is an experienced author and sewist who has been creating sewn projects for over 20 years. He has a passion for teaching beginners and inspiring more advanced sewists both online and through his writings. Outside of writing about sewing, Geoffrey loves to explore new techniques and styles of sewing that incorporate upcycling fabric remnants into sweet items with personality.

Other Models

Although Elias Howe’s design was groundbreaking, it had a few weaknesses. The case shuttles that were used were expensive and had to be replaced frequently. The machine also was not able to create buttonholes, and had difficulty handling multiple layers of fabric. To address these shortcomings, other inventors and engineers worked on redesigns of the sewing machine.

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In particular, Isaac M. Singer, and his sewing machine designs, had a massive impact on the design of sewing machines. His improvements included the introduction of an oscillating shuttle, the ability to make buttonholes, and a more elegant design. Singer and Howe’s design innovations led to the dominance of the sewing machine in the rapidly industrializing markets after the Civil War.

Over the years, sewing machines have undergone significant changes, including the development of automated machines, electric motors, and computer-controlled models. Additionally, sewers and seamstresses no longer need to manually move the fabric; machines can now be programmed to achieve this. Despite the changes, Howe’s design remains a key component in virtually all modern sewing machines.