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底特律 (Detroit) 一家縫紉工廠裡的女工正在用縫紉機工作
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發明家艾利司‧哈維 (Elias
Howe) 生於1819年7月9日
平均一分鐘可以織縫250針，哈維發明的機器比任何一個手工裁縫師的速度都要快；不過，雖然速度快，但是哈維的發明並不暢銷。一直到伊薩克‧辛格 (Issac
Singer，1811-1875) 與愛倫‧威爾森 (Allen
Wilson, 1824-1888) 把他們二人的設計加進哈維的機器之後，縫紉機才真正受到大家歡迎。辛格發明了上下運動的機關，而威爾森則發明了旋轉式的鉤梭。 (一台縫紉機要用到兩綑線，梭子支撐住較低的那綑線，然後把線頭帶到上層那綑線的線環裡，這樣就完成了一針。) 哈維、辛格，與威爾森三人把他們的發明組合在一起，製作出新型的縫紉機，並且賣給美國各地的服飾工廠。
在1889年，辛格公司設計、製作出家用電動縫紉機，並且開始對外販售。到了1905年，幾乎所有美國人都開始使用這種電動機器來縫紉衣服。到了今日，許多工廠裡的縫紉機，是透過電腦科技來生產訂製的服飾，人力的需求也越來越少。你有沒有用過縫紉機呢？
At 250 stitches a minute, Howe's machine could outsew the fastest of hand sewers. Despite its speed, though, Howe's invention did not sell very well. It wasn't until Isaac Singer (1811-1875) and Allen Wilson (1824-1888) each added their own new features to the machine that it became more popular. Singer invented the up-and-down motion mechanism, and Wilson created a rotary hook shuttle. (A sewing machine uses two spools of thread. The shuttle holds the lower thread and carries this thread through a loop of the upper thread, resulting in a stitch.) Howe, Singer, and Wilson put their inventions together, and soon sewing machines were built and sold to garment factories all over the United States.
In 1889, an electric sewing machine for use in the home was designed and marketed by Singer. By 1905, Americans all over the country were beginning to sew with electrically powered machines. Today sewing machines in manufacturing plants use computer technology to create customized clothing with little human intervention. Have you ever used a sewing machine?
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