First patented in 1846, the advent of the sewing machine completely changed the course of women’s history. Before its introduction, it would take the average sewer 20,000 hand stitches to complete a shirt. At a rate of 35 stitches per minute, it would take approximately 10 to 14 hours to complete a single project.
Once the sewing machine entered the home, a seamstress could compile the same shirt at 3,000 stitches per minute, which reduced the time investment to approximately an hour. For women who handmade all the garments for their families, the sewing machine liberated them from tedious labor and increased opportunity for rest and recreation. The first durable household appliance in the American marketplace, the sewing machine coincided with the women’s movement.
In addition to freeing women from the taxing labor of hand stitching, the sewing machine provided opportunity for formal education among women. Sewing schools started popping up all over the world and were considered tremendously successful. In these schools, they would instruct women how to use the machines and provide a social outlet. These sewing courses concluded with a formal ceremony and dinner, in which students would adorn their new clothes. These ceremonies were considered to be a very big deal, and the only graduation most of these women would ever attend.