Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

To the fashion-savvy or needlecraft-inclined, the sewing machine is heralded as the champion instrument of sewing clothes. The exact origin of the sewing machine is convoluted in the timeline of the Industrial Revolution and a boom of modern technology, but an English cabinetmaker by the name of Thomas Saint is accredited as the creator of the first sewing machine design circa the 18^th century. He intended this machine to be used on leather and canvas material. It could aid the manufacture of items like saddles, bridles, and ship sails. Many others began designing different variations of the sewing machine. In 1850, Isaac Merritt Singer manufactured what would be the first straight stitch sewing machine. The undertaking, occurring at a small machine shop in Boston, put Singer into a 40-dollar debt. The Singer factory found a home in New York and the first machines were sold at the price of 100 dollars. In the years to follow, the Singer sewing machine would become a household name with global outreach. The Singer sewing machine pictured here is believed to be from 1911. If you’re a fan of sewing or have an interest in learning more about sewing machines, we welcome you to come check out related exhibits at the Heritage Museum!