On 12 August 1851, 168 years ago, Isaac Merrit Singer patented the first practical and efficient sewing machine, although he did not invent it. Read more here.
The Singer sewing machine is close to my heart. My mother's major source of earnings was sewing so I witnessed how she mastered her craft, from simple fashion design to fabric master-cutting and sewing. She never got tired putting her heart in everything that she did, so her customers loved her. You cannot see any loose thread in her finished works. Most of her customers gave her the excess fabrics which she turned into children clothes then we sold them.
When she was young, she got sick and almost died. Her elder sister sent her to a vocational school to learn about the basic and advanced sewing, then she recommended her to her best friend, a popular dressmaker with a dress shop in town. Sewing somehow helped my mother to heal, as she was a very creative person, and she was the owner/manager's right hand not because she was the youngest sister of her best friend but because she was a perfectionist in everything she did, and could be trusted.
After some years she got married and became a full-time housewife in my father's town, but she wanted to earn from home so she used her Singer sewing machine to make dresses. I remember my first dress with her embroidered alphabet vowels -- 'A E I O U'. The wife of my father's boss even requested her to make the same for her daughters.
After many years, we returned to the city of origin of my mother, and she put up her little dress shop with three (3) Singer sewing machines in the busy public market. She hired two (2) dressmakers so one of the sewing machines was for her. In peak season (like Christmas and fiestas) she contracted the services of 'well-screened' home-based dressmakers, again with Singer sewing machines, and just gave them the cut fabrics. My brother and I always had the 'twinning' pajamas or shorts.
I learned how to sew by just looking at them. When I was young I remember I had a doll I named 'Nenette' and I used to sew her clothes. The experience I could not forget was when by too much quick pressure on the pedal and careless holding of fabrics I stitched my left forefinger using Singer sewing machine (the scar is still here). Ouch!
My recollection of childhood (elementary days) brings me happiness. We had some basic sewing lessons as part of our Home Economics. Being with a mother who was a seasoned dressmaker, it was very easy for me to get a high rating then. I felt glory in my soul for my creative sewing projects.The pincushion of my mother was stuffed with ground candles, according to her for the needles and pin not to attract rust. I was told requested to pull a needle, snip the bit of string and find the eye.
There was a Chinese-owned and run shop that sold dry goods including sewing materials. The owner was also doing customized buttons and buckles, and I was the one who did related errands for our dress shop.
My mother also did some tutorials for a fee. I remember that in high school I told her I wanted also to learn advanced dressmaking so she taught me what she knew, with special tips. She said that I was her best student, not because I was her child.
All my school uniforms and Girl Scout of the Philippines (GSP) outfit fit me well to the envy of my classmates. The following school year, some girls would ask me to give them my old uniforms, thinking they would fit them that well also.
My father actually wanted me to pursue a career in fashion design and dressmaking, but seeing my mother very, very tired every night and stressed when there were many deadlines to beat, I decided not to. Now I am thinking -- what if I did so? Fashion design and dressmaking hugely fascinate me!
When I got married, I bought a Singer edging machine on installment and created my own brand -- coined name of my two (2) children. But my mother was old and I pitied her so I ended up selling my machine to my dear friend who started a sewing business for healthcare professionals (scrubs, etc.).
In the malls we see many shops selling clothes. Nowadays people want to buy ready-made dresses. When I was young, my mother loved to sew a unique dress for me. She did not want that I would bump into someone with a dress similar to mine.
In our country, there are many ukay-ukay stores that sell used clothes for minimal prices. It's good if they are recycled to help reduce wastes. Go to the dumping sites. There are tons and tons of used clothes. If every home has a sewing machine and girls are taught how to sew, they can upcycle old clothes. For others, they can earn from that, or they can donate to unfortunate ones, by making some alterations and other ways customized according to the latter's needs.
When I buy clothes, most often than not, they do not fit me well so I do some alterations. I bought a Singer sewing machine (model: Simple) which is my sewing buddy if manual stitching will not complete my sewing task. Some of my friends asked me to do pants cutting and hemming (for free) and they were happy.
I do not know who among my current readers are into sewing. If you are, do you find happiness in sewing? What brand of sewing machine do you use? Are you a member of any sewing club or movement?
With the mental health issue on the rise, I think Margaret Atwood ('Alias Grace') has a point --
I am certain that a sewing machine would relieve as much human suffering as a hundred lunatic asylums, and possible a good deal more.There are many sewing projects that can be done and can bring us happiness, aside from savings and contribution to sustainability.
A Singer sewing machine will always be a part of me. I passionately make creative something by sewing when I have free time. If only I could stitch broken hearts and spirits, I would.
(PS - Hey, if you want to be a doctor, master stitching, among others.)
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Photo credits: Pixabay
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