My mom, who is very good at sewing, didn't do it in a while because her machine wasn't set properly anymore after decades. As an engineer, I searched for the old instruction manual online, and carefully followed the instructions and oiled everything up : the machine was working flawlessly again. And I realized that I had NO IDEA of how it did work in the first place. So she explained it to me. I was litteraly amazed, so 1) seeing your video and your own amazement is so pleasing to me, and 2) blessed be my mom.
I do have a singer 27K. It's now 123 years old and I use it to sew my own clothing, or fixing damaged clothing. It's handcranked, no electricity needed with a shuttle bobbin. I love this machine. It works fantastic to this day. I've sown some cyberpunk tech wear style clothing with it. The contrast of the 123 year old machine and the futuristic clothing it helped to create is something I enjoy a lot. ❤
i have a singer machine with a shuttle bobbin! its from around 1910 so about 113 years old and its very robust its also hand cranked, the first time i tried to thread it i was very confused due to the shuttle bobbin but other than that its great
My Singer (originally my mother’s) is a 1940 “featherweight” machine. She sewed many of the clothes I wore when in school, bequeathed to me, and now I sew things for around the house. Wouldn’t be without it.
amazing. my husband watched this today and mentioned it to me. I love the thought process of the stitching but that line "The tension must be exactly the same" has been the bane of my existance as a someone who sews.
My parents own a sewing machine shop. My dad repairs them as well. I find it amazing that people can bring their old machines in, sometime 50 years old and they can just be repaired. No planned obsolescence, just a product that lasts a lifetime. Something that barely exists anymore with e-waste garbage piles that keep on growing without end.
If your parents have or ever come across a Standard Sewhandy, or an Island or General Electric Sewhandy in decent shape, I would love to buy one. They are the inspiration for the Singer Featherweight and I like this model better than the Featherweight. I should have bought one about 3 years ago when I first learned of their existence. They have at least doubled in price, and often quadrupled, at least in the asking prices. I'm also looking to replace a Pfaff 230 that was my husband's grandmother's machine that was destroyed when our house was involved in a fire a couple of years ago. Thanks for any assistance in locating any of these machines! I would so appreciate it!
@@KpaxlolYes, as OP mentioned, planned obsolescence. It's the same reason why I'm not worried about robots taking over all jobs. Robot companies would make more money if their machines only lasted five years instead of three decades. That plus crappy warranty/refund policies combined with mandatory subscription to their proprietary software and suddenly, robots are not that good of an alternative.
It's a symptom of money creation. Because of the constant devaluation of our savings, we start to put higher and higher valuations on short term gratification of needs, instead of planning for the future. It's a well studied phenomenon@@Kpaxlol
I am Italian, i live near the famous "Rimoldi" factory and I am a specialized sewing machine technician, just like my father. I've been working in this field for 8 years now, and you have no idea how many machine models exist to create hundreds of different types of stitches. Each one has its own operation, adjustments, and tolerances. One must anticipate the behavior of the fabric and threads being used and adapt them to the process. Learning never stops. It's a wonderful industry!
Im a qualified Technician at Bernina , you sir are correct, there are so many different machines with ALOT of different stitches but you only really need to test the honeycomb to see if the balancing is fine and zigzag to check tension, thank god we don't have to go through all them stitches on high end machines that would make this fun job very un fun😂
Super random suggestion, but if you happen to collect vintage machines, the Netherlands seems to have tons of them. I collected them for a while and found really nice ones over 120 years old for 30,- to 60,-. Lots of different brands outside of Singer as well.
I have a Singer sewing machie built in 1926 and still use it (because if it works - it works). The surprising part was when I broke a needle in 2016. I thought I will never find a spare one, but when I took it to the nearest fabric shop, they immidiately gave me similar one that perfectly fit in. It's amazing that needeles didn't change after a century.
They changed a lot to the better, in terms of material. they are still changing today, but to the worse: the last package of needles had mediocre quality eyelets polish, possibly too much cost savings in production. If you want good stuff buy a machine from before 1960, needles and spools from before 1990, and have a motor and a frequency converter from today fitted.
It's fascinating how 'early' some tech is that is still unchanged today... Take the AA battery.. It came out in 1907 - 117 years ago & counting... And yet its format is the same.
Hopefully they let you know that you're supposed to change your needle sometimes (5~10 hours of sewing and make sure it matches the weight/type of fabric) instead of just waiting for it to break? 🥲🥲
I finally understand how my machine works, why the bobbin gets tangled, why tension is so important, and that it's actually not sorcery, lol. This is absolutely fascinating. How it works is crystal clear, the history is relevant and interesting, and the presentation is flawless. Excellent video!
At 67 years old, and as a physician, I have episodically wondered about this since I was a child watching my mother sew. Back then, and ever since, I realized I could not imagine how the machinery worked to make this mechanical miracle work. Thank you for finally explaining it to me before I die.
I too, am an orthopedic surgeon and former high school shop teacher and had vague but unclear understanding of the functioning of sewing machines until now . THANK YOU!!!!
I’m a mechanical engineer and forever promised myself to someday take time to figure out how sewing machines work. You crossed this item off my list in just 15 minutes. I owe you the pizza of your choice. Thank you!
Agreed. I'm an engineer and a physicist (one that incidentally happened to be Derek's TA in university many, many years ago!) and after years of doing the same I finally crossed this off my list just a few years ago as well. I can't count the number of times I stared at a sewing machine perplexed at how what it does could be topologically possible.
I use sewing machines pretty much every day at work and the funny thing to me is that most of us prefer older mechanical machines over modern digital ones. The action is just so much smoother, the sound is better, the power and durability is better. If you have a well maintained vintage machine, it'll probably outlive your grandchilden.
I use my sewing machine often to reinforce stitches when they start to come loose on my clothes, I hand stitch buttons back on, to mend clothes and dog toys and have made clothes from scratch. I had a reasonably good idea how the machine worked, but it was great to see it on a large scale to really appreciate how precisely the machine has to run to catch the loop on the underside. Gave me an even greater appreciation for the engineering that went into a sewing machine.
I remember when young asking grandmas and aunts how sewing machines worked. They could tell me how to make a sewing machine work, but not how the machine actually achieved the feat. Great video. Loved the super large model and how you kept adding improvements to it. It's truly amazing how people can get things to work with such fine tolerances.
My mother was a seamstress and knew sewing machines inside and out. I took that and well, always have been good with mechanical things and figured out the finer details, such as gear timing and finding timing marks to sync up the shuttle and needle. Came in handy when removing a shuttle, as someone forced the cloth through and bent the needle, burring the shuttle and catching and not releasing the thread. And figuring out bobbin tension problems.
I'm a sewist and own 7 machines ranging in age from 1907 (Singer treadle model 27), some vintage ones, to modern computerized ones. I had no idea how they worked until I learned how to take apart, clean, and put back together the oldest ones. You did an excellent job on this video.
I still don't understand how the bobbin and the top thread twist around each other. Would you explain, please? I keep expecting the axle to be an obstacle, and I'm not clear about how the yellow thread got around the orange thread. I'm talking about 11:00.
@@eugenetswong Not sure if the video link in my following comment works, but if it does (UA-cam has a tendency to block links) it should show animations on how they work. A video by a needle manufacturer Groz-Beckert. If the link doesn't work the video is titled "Stitch Type 301: Double Lockstitch in Slow Motion" and the UA-cam channel is called "Groz-Beckert" with a green thumbnail with "G . B" (the dot is in the middle between the G and B).
@@AlexKallThank you. I'll check it out. In the mean time, I want to mention what I learned from another video. In that video, we can see the thread go around that first hook, plus a frame-like thing. It's all 1 piece of metal. I think that we would be able to wiggle it. The frame holds a case, which encapsulates a spool. So, there are 3 parts, and all of them do not contain an axle, and none of them are stuck to the machine. In other models, I think that the hook is separate from the outermost frame, which means that the hook would need to come back.
@@AlexKall I watched your video, but the video that I saw seems better. How a sewing machine works - Animagraffs Your video implies that there are 2 parts plus the spool inside, but it isn't clear about what holds the bobbin in place. I assume that in the actual machine there is another component that does the trick. It's so much clearer now. Thank you!
@@eugenetswongthe guy says "the loop can pass around the bobbin", which sounds like the axle of the bobbin should end up inside the loop. Think of it instead as the loop being grabbed by the hook on the bobbin and rotated in a full circle by the bobbin. Then the hook lets it go, and waits to catch the next loop. Every time it catches a loop, the bobbin slips its own thread through the loop before letting it go.
i found an 1890s White brand vibrating shuttle treadle machine at a town dump last summer! it was such a lucky find - it had everything except the drive band, which was maybe a $10 replacement part i bought online. i have no idea how long it had been sitting, or where, but it was pretty grimy and the treadle base had a fair amount of rust on it. i cleaned it up, oiled all of the parts, and sanded/repainted the rusty cast iron base with some black rustoleum. this took a few afternoons of work, but it immediately started making perfect stitches during the first test! i’ve had it for around a year and a half now and i’ve made so many projects on it. it powers through everything i’ve thrown at it, even heavy weight denim and canvas. i use it all the time!
I frequently show my Maths and Physics students your videos for many years, I would like to assure you that all my students (and of course myself) are very grateful for your amazing teaching. Thanks again.
If you want to see an even bigger sewing machine look for ..the secret life of the sewing machine....one of a series of videos (vintage 1980s) a genuine master of technical education Tim Hunkin.. All of utube. best regards.
As someone who has been sewing my entire life and now works as a seamstress for a furniture company, it's nice to see the humble sewing machine getting the attention it deserves. It's also nice seeing how others are impressed by it. That's right, what I do is pretty cool. These diagrams and models are some of the easiest to understand that I've ever seen.
This video triggered some serious childhood flashbacks! In humble Pakistani homes, my mom was the sewing maestro, and that machine was her magic wand. Always wondered how it worked, but back then, no UA-cam and definitely no disassembling privileges - that was a one-way ticket to punishment! Thanks to this channel, I can finally decode the sewing machine mysteries without risking timeout or grounding. Sewing, science, and a hint of childhood rebellion - who knew it could be this entertaining? gonna show this video to my mum
I likewise had a similar upbringing, per mom’s sewing skills and me, NOT BEING ALLOWED to even ‘think’ of approaching her machine with any tool, to figure out what secrets lie within it’s complications or complexities.. I was mystified by its actions, being an A.D.D. child of the 70’s. That all said, by the time I was in Junior High School, I had already taken so many things apart of a massive variety of fields, that I was making side dough during summers, servicing/refurbishing /restoring/repairing vacuum cleaners, typewriters, film cameras, lawnmowers, pool pumps, vintage radios, record players, reel to reel machines, stoves/appliances & of course, sewing machines! But I never ever messed with mom’s machine.. less oiling it and, once in a blue moon, changing belts! I remember once though, while typing this, that it’s treadle pedal variable resistor speed control, had its “smoke leak out” (I had a college teacher for automotive repair certification, explain this rather hilarious notion of how electricity is actually ‘smoke’.. you never want to see it leak out of things! POOF! The item/part/component is now dead. 🤣). My mom was so bummed out over that happening.. she allowed me to take THAT apart.. just had bad wiring that grounded out. I rewired it and had it back up and running in no time! Of all the times I’d tinkered with various vintage/antique sewing machines, for general service procedures, I recall being always a bit intimidated by their engineering, with not quite having a thorough understanding of what exactly was taking place, between above and below.. until this breakdown you’ve so carefully put together! THANK YOU!
Same here in India, neighbour ❤ I haven't even tried to think about how it worked... But the video blew my mind I'll explain this to my mother and see her reaction
Aye, let it be four! I'm currently trying to repair one, and I am absolutely mindblown by how much is going on inside one of these. This video is part of my education in trying to figure its magic out. :)
Thank you for this video. My mother is a dressmaker, and ever since I was about 16, I have pulled apart her machines and tinkered, fixed and broken them when they have stopped working well. The mechanism is amazing. What is more amazing is that they can be made and sold for as little as $50.
In the 1960s there were children's toy sewing machines that cost very little. They did the chain stitch, maybe not with complete reliability. It was also possible to buy very cheaply 100 year old Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch machines from antique shops and auctions; these were really well made, with spherical bearings at the ends of the connecting rod that coupled the upper and lower mechanisms. Most of these very old machines will last forever if you oil them occasionally.
@@cedriclynch My sister had a toy machine that did the chain stitch, that would have been the late 70s. You just triggered my memory, thank you. The thing used to run on batteries and chew through them in about an hour. My sister, being older and therefore my boss used to make me wind the wheel on it once the batteries were gone so she could make another dress for her dolls.
@@spindoctor6385 The thought occurs to me that toy sewing machines are probably now banned in many countries, unless they are dummies that do not actually sew. In the UK and the European Union it is now illegal to sell anything with an accessible sharp point to anyone under the age of 18.
@@cedriclynch Lol, just the caring government trying to save their people from what would be a pretty horrific way to go. Death by sewing machine would be pretty gory. It wouldn't surprise me if they were banned just because they actually allow people to create something.
At last! I have asked so many people how sewing machines work. I have looked at the machines, consulted experts, read manuals, and none told me how they work. I was amazed that people who worked with sewing machines for a living had no knowledge of, nor curiosity in, how they work.
I don’t believe you because I just disproved you with a simple Google search “how a sewing” didn’t even fill it fully out and there is all the information you could ever need.
It's the same nowadays with computers. Most people have one in their pocket but much less care about the inner "magic" Curiosity is basic human nature so I guess when something is a part of everyday life one doesn't ask for the how but accept the fact it's working because it's so ordinary. New stuff tend to be more interesting. Maybe some doesn't care when they know something is complicated and/or they wouldn't benefit from learning about it. Thus their curiosity is spent elsewhere.
@@Mermete8 Yeah that seems to be an issue with younger people in particular these days, might have grown up with technology far more advenced than someone like me as an 80s kid but all they're exposed to is a UI on a phone or tablet so simple that anything under the surface is a mystery rather than something you actually worked with and learned about. There's actually kids in high school now that don't even have an idea what folders or files are let alone the bare basics of the hardware.
I don't know what's more awesome: The engineering "below" sewing machines, or the fact that you build a gigantic model to show us the process. Simply one of the few remainig actually great channels in YT. Now, about sewing machines, as impressive as these are, there are other, more complex machines, such as the "flatlock" and other specialized industrial machines.
@user-tn8uu2cu8g I have said your words and nothing happ... wait... oh, oh, Allah! Yes! You are the only one! What are you saying? Two twin towers? I think that they don't exist anymore my lord... please choose other building so we can show the world your love!
My Great-Grandmother had a Singer machine, was incredibly proud of it and it still works today. In the Balkans, we have a saying "Radi k'o Singerica!" - "It works like a Singer!", when something works perfectly. Incredible piece of history lodged in our cultures. Thanks for this :)
I don't doubt what you say. The problem with Singer NOW is that they rely on their name and reputation. They still make good machines but also some cheap ones that are held together with glue. When THEY break, they can't be repaired.
In one of his videos, Mamat Tingting's channel discussed how the manually calibrated Singer sewing machines worked really well, while the newly produced Singer machines are now often jammed even when you have just bought it.
I’ve been a Parachute Rigger for the Navy for over 18 years and we still use some of those old Class 7 oscillating machines. Some of them are nearly 100 years old and they are powerful enough to punch through a stack of 3 quarters.
I’ve worked on a few that came through the shop which have the Navy anchor stamped beside the serial number. Converted a few to have reverse and to sew synthetic lifting slings.
Aeronautical engineer here. My Mom used to sew all the time when I was a kid and I even tried my hand at it. Never really thought about the mechanics of it until I desired to do some sewing for the boat. Have a brand new Sailrite machine sitting in the box. Your video lifts the curtain off the mystery of stitches, making assembly and operation more intuitive. Thanks.
Eh, you animate it once in probably 90/120 frames and it can loop, not too bad to do, but the artist did a great job, they're nice renders, very clean read!
Bro 'this rotating hooks are messing with my mind. How in the world is the thread going past the axel? I don’t know if anyone can understand my problem. 😮
I design exhibits for museums, and frequently those designs include an interactive component that requires some sort of mechanical gadget. Let me say this: Whoever designed and constructed that demonstration model deserves a freakin' Nobel Prize.
@@toxicimagestudios9547someone should make a few of the models. Kiwicrate makes kits for kids to assemble and learn from. They might buy a thousand from you if you made the design smaller.
@@toxicimagestudios9547 Seriously, extremely well done. It's hard enough to figure out how to get the real machine to work, but to make an EXTREMELY simple version of it, that can show off multiple forms all in one display is impressive work. Well done, sir.
I remember a teacher telling me that one doesn't always need to move miles for a revolution. Sometimes it is just one inch. Then he showed the ordinary needle and the needle of a sewing machine. We were so much influenced by those words.
The engineering brilliance of a sewing machine seamlessly intertwines precision, innovation, and efficiency, transforming the intricate art of stitching into a marvel of technological ingenuity.
Thanks for this one! As a professional sailmaker I was very entertained and amazed by the historical facts of these machines. And yes, the quality of those older machines is amazing. Our workshop has 2 machines older than 50 years still going strong on a daily basis. Just keep them greased! I've shared this one with my collegues resulting in entertaining conversation! Made my day!
Just a heads up; the lockstitch is way older than your video implies. It's been a common method for Sailmakers, sailors, and Leatherworkers for many centuries before the sewing machine was first invented. Though, I forget if the modern stitching awl was invented in the 17th or 18th century, but that and/or a regular needle would do the trick when used with a shuttle or bobbin. Weisenthal's two sided needle may have been the precursor of the stitching awl-and-bobbin; if the latter was invented in the late 18th century. Or, it could be the other way around, if the stitching awl-and-bobbin is from the 17th century. I believe that the groove wasn't added to the awl until at least the last last half of the 19th century, possibly the first half of the 20th. Overall, an amazing, top-notch video, as always. (Edited because I had to disembark the bus before I got the full post written)
I’ve seen a lock stitch on birchbark canoes also, but it’s essentially created by using two needles and doing two running stitches. Is there any evidence that sailmakers etc ever passed a bobbin through a loop of thread and maintained one thread on the top and the other on the bottom? In leathercraft it’s called a Saddle Stitch.
@@michellebwilson2610 Yes. I've been a sailor and practiced Marlinespikemanship, and my maternal grandfather was an old salt and a Naval History Professor. It was usually done with a shuttle, but bobbins were also quite common. Both were used for net working as well. Edit: IIUC, a saddle stitch is very different from the lockstitch, as the saddle stitch requires both needles to pass through the leather. Kinda like two running stitches that knot at each pass through.
my mother owned a "new home" sewing machine for over thirty years, it's older than me, she used it to fix our clothes and make pillow covers, I miss the sound of it, I openend once for maintenance and I was amazed how synchronised and brilliant it is, it's a mechanical masterpiece, love it, you should do a part 2 explaining how threads sizes adjusment happens inside.
My mom literally paid for everything that kept my family alive thanks to those sewing machines. I would love an episode on the complexity of a serger, using 4 spools instead of 2!
Minimum thread for serger starts at 3 and goes up to 5. Big probability to find and see what 3, 4 and 5 thread serger stitch would look like here on UA-cam. Good with 3 thread serger is that you can tighten the lower thread looper and loosen a bit the upper looper to create those finished edges for ruffles. No need to fold the edges. 😊 So the best thing if you plan to buy a serger, opt for a 5 thread serger which is a bit pricier BUT you can also use the same machine to function as a 3 or 4 thread serger. Serger stitches does NOT only work as an edge finisher. It also makes as good edge finishing decorative stitch using a different soft nylon yarn on it's LOOPER. 😊 HAVE FUN.
One thing i find fascinating about sewing machines is that back during the world wars, the sewing machine factories were repurposed to make rifle bolts, since they’re able to make things at high precision that were able to handle incredible numbers of reciprocal motions
My grandmother was a seamstress and grandfather was an industrial arts teacher. When I would visit them growing up, I would spend hours in their basement, which was divided in half-one half being full of my grandmother’s sewing equipment, which she used to operate a home business, and the other half was my grandfather’s elaborately appointed wood and metal shop. Despite being divided in half by two seemingly diverse crafts, the whole basement was unified by the fact that both sides contained all kinds of fascinating and ingenious tools and machines, and I spent hours examining and secretly operating them. I was always fascinated by my grandmother’s ancient Singer sewing machine and its confounding array of sundry implements and accessories, and I taught myself to sew both by hand and by machine at a young age, and have always kept a sewing machine in the house since. It’s a very practical skill and tool to have in your belt.
Yea, I learned to do it at a young age as well, and now I'm the go-to if anyone in the family needs things sewed. It really is good to know how to do it.
As someone who is a sewist and also an engineer, there is a lot more overlap in these fields than you'd expect. Everything about sewing is clever ways to connect two things to make large complex 3d shapes.
And in the case of supportive undergarments like bras and corsets, garments can be surprisingly supportive and change the shape of the body. A good, supportive corset or bra is a truly a garment engineering marvel.
Our father glanced inside a sewing machine as a kid and exclaimed, "Oh, that's how they work!". He tried to explain it to us as kids but only this video made it clear. Thanks.
This was fascinating. I'm 73 and made my first crude garment, a simple gathered skirt at age 8 or 9 on my Mom's old Singer sewing machine. I still have that machine but it is just a piece of memorabilia as the electrical cords are shot. I have always marveled at the ingenuity of whomever it was that came up with the plan(s) and now I see it was an amalgamation. Brilliant! Thanks for this.
another awesome video. my dad and brother are engineers and my mom is a seamstress, so it was cool to see a video that everyone in my family could enjoy!
i bet they were so fascinated by this. probably the same way i did when i first found out how rice cooker works in elementary. that blew my tiny brain. they just used magnet and heat and boom you got yourself a ricecooker
I would watch my grandmother sit at her pedal operated sewing machine for hours. I was totally amazed by it. When we finally got an electric sewing machine it was quite an event in my home, since my grandmother, mother and my sister all did a lot of sewing. This video explaining how sewing machines actually work has been a wonderful learning experience for me. Now, at 75 years old, I finally understand how they work.
I studied engineering physics, and during the pandemic I learned to sew clothes as a hobby, and ever since I've been fascinated by the inner workings of sewing machines! So this video was an awesome overlap for me 😄 When you talk about the mindblowing amount of clothes that end up in landfill, I wish you had mentioned that this is the awful impact of the fast fashion industry. The invention of sewing machines are not to blame, the problem is the overall mentality of consumerism nowadays.
@@3nertia99% of these clothes come from "communism" but go off with the anti-capitalism queen, if only you knew how much more waste China produces in-house(not export) compared to any other countries in the World. I am not sure you even know what capitalism is as it's not relevant to the industrial revolution which is the cause of these landfills.
The power of this video is in the clarity of it's illustrations! I have been confused about how sewing machines work for 40 years. Using video with the image blown up till the thread is the size of knitting yarn, I can finally see what's really happening. Over the past several decades, I have read books and articles, and watched documentaries on cable TV, but they all left me with questions about details of the dynamics of the process. Thank you for creating this excellent explanation!
When I was a kid I was always amazed by this, I actually asked my aunt who used to sew a lot how it work and she opened her machine and showed me. I went on to study mechanical engineering after that.
I started crocheting recently and learning how to make stitches is actually kind of mind blowing. The fact that a sewing machine is essentially doing the same thing super fast is really cool.
As a experienced crochet nerd I must respectfully disagree. For one crochet sits in a grey area. It is fabric creation like weaving but it is also fabric manipulation through pointy means. It is needle work by technicality. The only crochet stitches that machines can even begin to replicate is the chain stitch. Time line wise crochet was one of the last fabric based hand crafts invited and as such it is the most physically complex. As of now it is also the only one that machines are unable to replicate. Every crochet design comes from about 7 basic stitches. The basic stitches themselves require a lot of precision hand movements that work both the fabric being made and the hook. However the real complexity in crochet comes from the fact you have to build each stitch individually. By making each stitch its own independent variable you can put basic double crochet in the same space to make a fan stitch or work 1/2 the stitch 7 times in the same space before finishing it to get a puff stitch and both stitches will give you different fabric textures as a result. Crochet has almost endless combinations of fabric density, texture, weight, and 3d shape that my be accomplished from the ~7 basic stitches. The crochet fabric itself also has unique properties. Because of the way it is made the fabric doesn’t have a grain/bias. It can stretch equally well in all directions. They even use crochet models to show high level mathematical constructs because it is the only way to get 3d shapes that can be manipulated into the complex shapes of the constructs.
The next episode needs to be on how you'd program these machines to have different functions. Lately I had to do some alignments on my old 70s Singer machine and I was just mesmerised by the programming shaft. A very complex, rotary set of profiles and grooves that each held a certain program allowing the machine to either sew in buttons, make various zig-zag patterns or sew around the buttonholes. I'm also surprised all this works perfectly after over 50 years of use without any maintenance really.
The singers are insanely well built. My mum still has an antique one she uses, along with the foot powered pedal table (i was fidgety so i loved that desk with a secondary input to keep my brain happy while doing homeworks). Victorian era fidget spinner
Recently got my first sewing machine. It’s challenging and rewarding at the same time. This was a fabulous video with the mock up of the large teaching aid. Along with the history. Thank you.
Well that is one off my bucket list. I was always fascinated watching my mom sew and make our clothes. Now nearly 60 years later and being a toolmaker/ machinist I think I would be able to fix the tension on her machine for her now. Miss you mom❤
I've been fixing sewing machines for 26 years and still at it.❤. It's great to see this demonstrated in a way that I can show my customers why their needle or timing is so important! Thank you!
YES. The tension is so important. And sharp needles. Also, the correct needle for the fabric. The type of thread matters, too. I have been sewing since I was seven years old. I learnt on a Singer treadle machine ( my nan's). It is still working. I have thought a lot about how the sewing machine works.This very informative video has explained it so clearly.
I have Singer machines from about 1915, 1938, and 1969 They do run but will be even better after a good clean. It's very cool to see how they made small changes and improvements over the years. I also have an Imperial from around 1960 and like my Singers it's a beast! They will all sew through anything easily. The 1969 singer actually came with the original paperwork so I know where it was sold and how much each installment payment was. It's a fun bit of history.
Both my father and my mother sewed professionally back in Haiti. My only regret is that I never picked it up”not for a lack of trying”. All in all my 2 of my cousins pick it up from their dad(my moms brother) so most of my family know how to use a sewing machine.
My mom is a seamstress, currently specialising in doll clothing. My parents' house is filled with sewing machines from treadle powered antiques to state of the art modern machines. I've never been able to wrap my head around how they do their thing. Thanks for the enlightenment!
My Father lived in Mexico and Was hired by the Brooklyn Shoe Machine Company in New York in the 60s to fix their machines . I always remember my Father always was working on sewing machines adjusting the timing on the bobbins and making repairs I wished I had paid attention in my teen years instead of chasing tail. This video brought back wonderful memories thank you.
One UA-camr called Makers Muse has always said that a Sewing Machine is one of the best marvels of machinery out there as it has a ton of moving parts and the way in was downscaled into a 'simple' machine that can sit on your table. Super happy to see you cover this machine is such detail!
What is even more mind-poofing is the fact that very elaborate and elegant fabrics like velvet, satin and silk have existed for way longer than sewing machines. So the loom was really the first complicated sewing machine ever invented in a sense. Still, sewing those fabrics into garments couldn't be done with a loom but I'd say that most of the inventive work was already there.
You would probably enjoy looking into the history of how looms deeply influenced early programmable computer design by being the first machines to run a series of instructions via punch card.
My grandmother was a seamstress and some of my first memories form 0-5 yrs old are from her workshop, when she was babysitting me... I remember playing with wool, the fabric etc. and the machines and the intricate designs of them... Her workshop was like some kind of Narnia for me... Most people don't know how genious the mechanics of it really are
As a child I would watch my mother using her old Singer sewing machine she got from an old sail makers shop for hours on end. I spent the last 60 years still trying to figure how that mysterious machine worked ! Thank you ! I still have my mom's machine, it was her most valued treasure.
I'm just learning how to use a sewing machine for the first time, and now I'm even more in awe of how my little Singer does its job so well. Thanks for your great visual explanations.
There is something oddly rewarding watching this as a person who sews professionally. This video has given me a renewed sense of pride in knowing how to operate multiple types of these machines.
As an mechanical engineer who loves sewing my own stuff, sewing machine has always been fascinating to me since I was a kid. And my old Singer sewing machine is the most complex and precise machine that I own.❤
I went to college in Glasgow 96-99 to study sewing and clothing machines, I then spent 13 years in a factory that made mattresses and divans. The principal design of sewing machines remained largely unchanged for decades other than the method used to power the machine. I worked on some large multi needled machines, computer controlled machines as well as some that had been bespoke made by old fitters to have longer beds and drive shafts to make repairs on mattress tops. It was a great job and the machines were fascinating in their design and function
I took like a 6 month break from this channel and came back to what feels like YEARS worth of amazing new content. Derek might be the goat youtuber, every single video is entertaining and informative.
In all seriousness, I have had the "figuring out" of this topic on my list of "figuring outs" for a while. I watch leather shoe resoles and other DIY fabrication often. The sewing machine always messes with my brain yet I still maintain a fascination with the operation when seeing it in action. It is also intimidating to me to the point where I have withheld buying one because I dread servicing the machine. Love this channel.
Please don't do what the above poster suggested. I have several machines and my grandmother was a professional seamstress. The absolute best machine you could buy would be an old Singer. One of the old black, cast iron machines. I have the model 15 my grandmother left to me, still in the original treadle cabinet. It is a powerhouse and has never needed any service that I couldn't perform on my own. I also have a 66, electric that my husband bought for me about 6-7 years ago for Christmas. The machine and the cabinet had been horribly abused. But I asked for it because it was locked up and I knew what to do to fix it. It was just bound up by a nest of thread in the bobbin area, due to it being run for too long with the tension out of adjustment. Then, once I got it unlocked, I was having a problem with the speed being consistent. So, I rebuilt the pedal and it still sews beautifully. I would suggest one of these machines because they are workhorses. Either one will see through several layers of canvas and even leather. And you really can't break one. They didn't plan on obsolescence back then!!!
I've got a Singer 400 series from the 1960s, and these are also really solid machines that will last for generations. They are easy to maintain and service even if you aren't mechanically inclined. You can find manuals on line and they are extremely easy to follow. I don't know when the modern machines that are either cheap throwaway plastic or computerized marvels for thousands of dollars became the default, but if you can find them the old machines are a better way to go. You can still get parts for them from many sources, not that parts wear out, but you might want some special feet, etc.
Good times dear commenter, may I ask you what is that list of "figuring outs" is? Or what it contains? I'm just curious to know and thought I should as you to *figure out* what that means.
One thing I find fascinating is the mechanism in some purely mechanical sewing machines that can change how the parts operate to allow the same machine to make dozens of different sewing patterns. I'm not a mechanical engineer by trade, but I studied it at the university. I can't figure even how to start to design such mechanisms.
If you play Minecraft, spend some time learning redstone... Plan something simple, like a door with a locking mechanism. It will help you understand the process of isolating procedures in the whole mechanism to achieve the desired result. For example. I had a friend that wanted to make a lava waterfall that he could switch off and then have a water waterfall and then swap back again. Sounds simple enough, until you realize that lava moves sooooo much slower than water. So i had to add a timing mechanism that would only activate for when the lava was switched off, allowing the lava to disappear before the water was released and turned it to stone. It was difficult because i had to use logic gates to achieve this. Once you know the processes you need to isolate/activate within a system, the design part becomes easy because you can solve the problem in a step by step process. When this does that, this part here will do that to activate that, which will deactivate that part until its finished its full cycle.
@@cubiusblockus3973 But your example is essentially electronic. Logic gates and such. To achieve the dozen different sewing patterns using an electronic solution is totally trivial. Basically just to program it. What awes me is to achieve that with a purely mechanical solution.
@hugoiwata Afaik, the forward motion is controlled by speed of the sewing machine. The translation is controlled by a disc that is inserted to read head that is mechanically linked to the horizontal motion. So it's like the function y = f(x) where x is the position forward y is the horizontal position and the wheel height is the relationship f(x).
@@medleyshift1325 Amazingly enough, this is almost exactly how early Disney animatronics functioned. They were programmed by discs that mechanically actuated things. It's a solid solution.
I have always been fascinated by machines, the more complex they are, the more fascinating they are. When I was little, I would watch my mother and grandmother sew by hand and by machine, and I would wonder HOW that machine could do such a complicated - and boring - job so quickly with just a (seeming) up and down movement; Obvious, my parents never allowed me to disassemble the machine, and as time went, other machines absorbed my attention, but this particular curiosity was never completely forgotten. With this video, the drawings and the larger scale model, I understood. These various people had brilliant and INNOVATIVE ideas. *EXCELLENT* video with very didatic explanation !!!!
the sewing machine is definitely one of the great marvels of engineering, coming up with these ocilating motions must take very high intelligence and dedication
I’m an engineer and my daughter has a starter sewing machine that I was messing around with one day, and I realized that I knew nothing about how these machines worked but I quickly found out they were intricate. This video solved some mysteries in my head that I had pondered on ever since I was playing with my daughter’s starter sewing machine!
My mother has spent most of her life working with sewing machines, and for as long as I remember has owned a couple so I grew around these types of machines, yet I never really thought about how they work. The amount of precise machinery Humans were able to come up with using relatively limited tools and methods never ceases to amaze me!
Worth noting that (as you describe) Singer was initially inspired by the interchangeable parts concept in firearms manufacture. 80 years later, the story would come full circle and the Singer company would manufacture some 500 M1911 pistols for the US Government.
It's funny you say that. I turned 40 this year. I've wondered for a LONG time how sewing machines work. But I never...ever...looked it up. I would just mull it over in my mind....and give up. It seemed impossible. Yet, clearly, it's more than possible. So this was quite interesting. Finally....I can lay this one to rest lol...
@@avedic Same! getting close to 40 and man did i spend some time wondering about it, but not looking it up, it seemed magical and yet real, how could these thread cross?? Still seem a bit magical even seeing it happen on a big model and step by step to be honest, but quite the day, lol!
My mother is a tailor and has been in the work for more than 15 years and it was fascinating for me to know how the machine i saw working since i was child worked. I already love the channel but this video was amazing for me.
My wife's grandmother was a seamstress and has an entire room of their house dedicated to sewing and fabrics, and I've always wondered how in the heck these machines work. I looked it up once and got even more confused and eventually just gave up. This is a godsend for my curiosity, thanks for always being there for us Derek
I am 75 and have spent my life working around machines, designing, building, fixing anything but never gave a thought as to how the humble sewing machine worked. Never too old to learn. Excellent video.
As someone who taught himself how to sew, I've been fascinated by sewing machines for years and I've always been marveled at their complexity and genius.
As an avid sewist, I loved this video! I did know how they worked but I loved your explanation and your model you made was really cool. I could have watched a whole hour long doco on this!
@@user-os7ec4dm8x a lot of those who sew prefer to use the term sewist as the written form over sewer because it can't be confused/misread as a conduit for waste.
I really love the oversized demo model you made for this video. Excellent teaching device! I spent some time looking at my mum's sewing machine when I was little, trying to figure it out. I didn't really understand it properly until I was older. They're kind of like magic if you haven't had it explained.
When I first learned of the history of the sewing machine I was just an engineering student and I learned it through accident. It opened my eyes to always look for solutions that don’t rely on existing ways of doing things. 24 years later I still find successful norm breaking ideas as a sweet fruit of engineering. I am now in the habit of ask at the start of a new project: “does it have to be done this way? What is the real end goal?” 😊 Great video. 😊
This is what is NOT taught in schools. They teach what to think instead of how to think. Always, ALWAYS ask questions, and leave it open to alternate ways.
@@katen1228 I would say it depends on the school. I have had a really good time of learning how to think and learn in school. Sometimes there is a bias against schools brought on by adult hindsight;there is a tendency to believe that a kid thinks the same as when they are an adult. They just don’t. I had enough experience in this area to know that things that are transparent to adults are not to kids, so lessons on learning and thinking may not resonate with them. I know I think differently than I did in my twenties, and so on. I am not talking about opinions but of HOW I think, how I look at something and how I go about evaluating it. I know it will be different as I get older. I don’t think that can be taught in school as it requires a level of maturity that kids don’t have. Read the book: The Design of Everyday Things Donald A. Norman Everyone should, we would have better designed doors for sure. :-)
My grandmother was an upholsterer and she had both a factory and home machine in her house. When I was in 8th grade, she taught me how to sew on her avocado-green 1970s home machine (she said the upholstery machine would sew through fingers). I remember taking apart and putting the drop-in bobbin back together. Then I'd watch how the machine worked with the cover off as I hand-turned the knob, how the hook would catch the thread and loop it around. Fascinating stuff! I love that you broke down exactly how it worked. I always thought it was the bobbin doing the looping, but this makes more sense.
I have my aunt’s avocado green Kenmore machine she bought herself as a graduation present in 1972. It still works perfectly, thanks to my husband who has made some minor adjustments over the years.
During the pandemic I learned machine sewing. Being a trained scientist and having spent most of my career working in engineering, I found myself amazed with the sewing machine function. One morning I woke up from a dream about sewing, and I realized the top thread had to go around the bobbin on every stitch. They are truly ingenious machines.
I seriously want to know the story behind how the guy figured that out. What was the spark... did he figure it out while showering, or sitting on the toilet, a dream, did he hit his head while hanging a picture frame? Or was it just brute force trial and error?
It's an incredible talent to be able to remind people how fulfilling it is to learn new things. If a saw a documentary on tv about how sewing machines work, I'd probably change the channel, but I was completely absorbed by this video. Not sure if it's the way it's explained, the video editing, or the passion in the voice, but congrats and thank you for all this videos.
I've often wondered how sewing machines actually work. Thank you for jet another awesome video with brilliant animations and models. All your content has really high value!
The model in this video was actually super helpful. I'd seen the animations before, but I just couldn't understand how a bobbin could be passed through a loop, so this was awecome.
Howdy! Embroidery machinist of two years and counting here. You've done very well explaining the fundamental mechanics of the machines. From day #1 working with these machines I've been utterly fascinated by them. I've ran little Brother machines, Ricoma's, and now I'm running two absolutely BEAST Barudan 6 heads, soon to be a third. I've had my machines apart before to adjust timings, replace springs and belts, clean, etc. - 20 Inch sewing field per head, 90 needles, a thousand moving parts, servo motors and belts, driveshafts and pushbars, all working in perfect unison. The machines are nothing short of works of art. They can lay stitches at 1100RPM and are an absolute blast to watch do so. I'm absolutely stoked to see a mainstream channel touch on the topic, these machines for the immense impact they have on all of our lives go largely unnoticed. Folks who understand sewing and embroidery are worryingly scarce. Thank you for this video 🙌
Same. The amount of dudes I've seen dismiss sewing as "gay" or "for chicks" is wild considering the ancient history of sewing and the revolution the sewing machine brought with it. So many dudes into cosplay who will limit themselves to 3d printing everything because they're afraid sewing will, I dunno, emasculate them or something stupid? It's bizarre. Sewing is an everyday skill everyone should know.
Had this conversation 2 weeks ago with wife about how intricate and the amount of engineering that goes into these. Instinctive knowledge not real knowledge. This video is great and I never knew the depth of these machines, just they were incredible.
My Mom got into sewing after she retired. It took her a couple of years to actually get good enough to make a kid's blanket or something like that. This is one of those skills that requires the human touch and evades most advancements in technology. Despite changing the stitching pattern, adding a bobbin, and so on, it's still the same archaic sewing of threads we've been doing for thousands of years. Without an entirely new method of stitching clothes together, such as with lasers melting something like thread, or some kind of unimaginable breakthrough, sewing will be basically the same forever.
Oh. There are plenty of breakthroughs that might be "unimaginable" to some. Making arbitrary objects with nanomachines putting all the atoms wherever. (Star trek replicator)
I know this was about the mechanics of machine sewing, and that is amazing (I still want to know how mechanical machines do all their stitch types) but I think sewing is an underrated skill. I like to call it "applied topology" because it is basically turning flat pieces into three dimensional garments. And once you understand that, you can design and make nearly anything.
Being a person who always has to take things apart and figure out how things work, I have ALWAYS wondered how a sewing machine has worked since I was a kid!
When I was a younger kid, I watched a hay baler tying knots in twine to secure the bales. Still haven't figured that out. It knots and cuts the twine in one process.
My mother was a humble poor seamstress, thus I learned embroidery at 8, and the use of the sewing machine at age 12. When I was in Grade 5, one of the practical tests given by our Home Economics teacher was winding and threading up the bobbin, which fueled up my curiosity as to how the bobbin worked, since it was placed hidden and tucked away in such inconspicuous area, which my little hands and bespectacled eyes could hardly reach. Many, many thanks for this video - you opened my eyes to the wonderful secret of the bobbin case!😁😁😁
This is the first video where i actually know alot about the subject. I was raised by a single dad, that would sew my cloths and make me custumes for halloween. I was blown away by how they worked and my dad ended up teaching me just about everything you could know. What always blew my mind was how you could get different thread patterns just from a single needle going up and down.
My mom has a sewing machine that she uses for diy projects and I've always wondered how exactly it works, this video explains it so clearly and I love the giant needle model that you built! The tailors destroying Thimonnier's machines is so sad :((
This happens every time someone invents something that pushes humanity forward but also disrupts established jobs/processes at the present time, there will always be those that will resort to violence to stop it, but if history taught me something is that, you can't stop progress.
@@Argoon1981 This feels like a very Manichean view of it. Sewing machines, and technology in general, only push humanity forward if they're used in a context where most people benefit from them, and that is not always the case. These people were at a risk of losing their jobs in a context where there was little social security, so it's understandable that they were anxious. Ideally, when you have that sort of creative destruction, you would also have safety nets in place. Progress can be stopped, unfortunately, and it doesn't have a single definition.
My mom, who is very good at sewing, didn't do it in a while because her machine wasn't set properly anymore after decades. As an engineer, I searched for the old instruction manual online, and carefully followed the instructions and oiled everything up : the machine was working flawlessly again. And I realized that I had NO IDEA of how it did work in the first place. So she explained it to me. I was litteraly amazed, so 1) seeing your video and your own amazement is so pleasing to me, and 2) blessed be my mom.
Not an engineer (yet), but did the same for my grandma, she was so happy.
That's just wholesome, good job :)
God bless her.
*NO BRAGGING PLEASE*
I wish we still made stuff like that man, try finding something made today that will sing with just a little maintenance in two or three decades time.
Puzzled me for years and never bothered to look - amazing that they invented these things!
same here
totally
Same
me too!
add one to list
I do have a singer 27K. It's now 123 years old and I use it to sew my own clothing, or fixing damaged clothing. It's handcranked, no electricity needed with a shuttle bobbin. I love this machine. It works fantastic to this day. I've sown some cyberpunk tech wear style clothing with it. The contrast of the 123 year old machine and the futuristic clothing it helped to create is something I enjoy a lot. ❤
that's so cool!!
Now with plan obsolete, we can no longer have lasting machine. Rip my oldhoood
i have a singer machine with a shuttle bobbin! its from around 1910 so about 113 years old and its very robust its also hand cranked, the first time i tried to thread it i was very confused due to the shuttle bobbin but other than that its great
I'd love to find a 27 or 28 in really good shape, It'd be a worthwhile and important addition to my collection.
My Singer (originally my mother’s) is a 1940 “featherweight” machine. She sewed many of the clothes I wore when in school, bequeathed to me, and now I sew things for around the house. Wouldn’t be without it.
amazing. my husband watched this today and mentioned it to me. I love the thought process of the stitching but that line "The tension must be exactly the same" has been the bane of my existance as a someone who sews.
My exact thoughts when I heard him say that 😩
It's kinda annoying how the tension being off just a fraction of a fraction can completely lock-up an electronic sewing machine, isn't it??
my mother-in-law threw her machine out of a second story window because she couldn't get the tension right ...
@@annedyken2961your mother in law got serious things going on my friend
I changed the somewhat low thread I had for a brand new spool and suddenly no tension issue 🤦♀️
My parents own a sewing machine shop. My dad repairs them as well. I find it amazing that people can bring their old machines in, sometime 50 years old and they can just be repaired. No planned obsolescence, just a product that lasts a lifetime. Something that barely exists anymore with e-waste garbage piles that keep on growing without end.
If your parents have or ever come across a Standard Sewhandy, or an Island or General Electric Sewhandy in decent shape, I would love to buy one. They are the inspiration for the Singer Featherweight and I like this model better than the Featherweight. I should have bought one about 3 years ago when I first learned of their existence. They have at least doubled in price, and often quadrupled, at least in the asking prices.
I'm also looking to replace a Pfaff 230 that was my husband's grandmother's machine that was destroyed when our house was involved in a fire a couple of years ago.
Thanks for any assistance in locating any of these machines!
I would so appreciate it!
They can still produce long lasting stuff. Even in electronics. They just decide not to in order to make more money
My mother bought an industrial Singer sewing machine in the early 1970s. It has a big electric motor under the table. It still works to this day.
@@KpaxlolYes, as OP mentioned, planned obsolescence.
It's the same reason why I'm not worried about robots taking over all jobs.
Robot companies would make more money if their machines only lasted five years instead of three decades.
That plus crappy warranty/refund policies combined with mandatory subscription to their proprietary software and suddenly, robots are not that good of an alternative.
It's a symptom of money creation. Because of the constant devaluation of our savings, we start to put higher and higher valuations on short term gratification of needs, instead of planning for the future. It's a well studied phenomenon@@Kpaxlol
I am Italian, i live near the famous "Rimoldi" factory and I am a specialized sewing machine technician, just like my father. I've been working in this field for 8 years now, and you have no idea how many machine models exist to create hundreds of different types of stitches. Each one has its own operation, adjustments, and tolerances. One must anticipate the behavior of the fabric and threads being used and adapt them to the process. Learning never stops. It's a wonderful industry!
So good you are involved in a specialized profession that is also intellectually and emotionally engaging!
That is awesome! You found a great niche!
Im a qualified Technician at Bernina , you sir are correct, there are so many different machines with ALOT of different stitches but you only really need to test the honeycomb to see if the balancing is fine and zigzag to check tension, thank god we don't have to go through all them stitches on high end machines that would make this fun job very un fun😂
Super random suggestion, but if you happen to collect vintage machines, the Netherlands seems to have tons of them. I collected them for a while and found really nice ones over 120 years old for 30,- to 60,-. Lots of different brands outside of Singer as well.
@@NoScope_SoTcan I ask what a honeycomb is? And how you test the machines? I love sewing and am so happy to be learning more!
I have a Singer sewing machie built in 1926 and still use it (because if it works - it works).
The surprising part was when I broke a needle in 2016. I thought I will never find a spare one, but when I took it to the nearest fabric shop, they immidiately gave me similar one that perfectly fit in.
It's amazing that needeles didn't change after a century.
I inherited my mother’s sewing machine foot pedal made around 1956. I love it
They changed a lot to the better, in terms of material. they are still changing today, but to the worse: the last package of needles had mediocre quality eyelets polish, possibly too much cost savings in production.
If you want good stuff buy a machine from before 1960, needles and spools from before 1990, and have a motor and a frequency converter from today fitted.
It's fascinating how 'early' some tech is that is still unchanged today... Take the AA battery.. It came out in 1907 - 117 years ago & counting... And yet its format is the same.
Hopefully they let you know that you're supposed to change your needle sometimes (5~10 hours of sewing and make sure it matches the weight/type of fabric) instead of just waiting for it to break? 🥲🥲
@@xiola
Never knew there are different types of needles.
I finally understand how my machine works, why the bobbin gets tangled, why tension is so important, and that it's actually not sorcery, lol. This is absolutely fascinating. How it works is crystal clear, the history is relevant and interesting, and the presentation is flawless. Excellent video!
At 67 years old, and as a physician, I have episodically wondered about this since I was a child watching my mother sew. Back then, and ever since, I realized I could not imagine how the machinery worked to make this mechanical miracle work. Thank you for finally explaining it to me before I die.
I too, am an orthopedic surgeon and former high school shop teacher and had vague but unclear understanding of the functioning of sewing machines until now . THANK YOU!!!!
I’m not sure how being a doctor is at all relevant but nice, transparent, humble brags gentlemen
You posted this 8 hours ago when I saw your post and I’m wondering, are you still alive?
Hahah relax now, people these days live longer than 67 years old.
@@P_steez😊🎉😢🎉🎉😂 18:43 18:43 😂
I’m a mechanical engineer and forever promised myself to someday take time to figure out how sewing machines work. You crossed this item off my list in just 15 minutes. I owe you the pizza of your choice. Thank you!
+1
The Earth is also Flat. Please check it out.
@aymanne5107Yep. Another example of this is the dishwasher.
Ok, but how do you hold the bobbin? That's the real engineering genius that is disappointingly hand=waved away in the video.
Agreed. I'm an engineer and a physicist (one that incidentally happened to be Derek's TA in university many, many years ago!) and after years of doing the same I finally crossed this off my list just a few years ago as well. I can't count the number of times I stared at a sewing machine perplexed at how what it does could be topologically possible.
I use sewing machines pretty much every day at work and the funny thing to me is that most of us prefer older mechanical machines over modern digital ones. The action is just so much smoother, the sound is better, the power and durability is better. If you have a well maintained vintage machine, it'll probably outlive your grandchilden.
I use my sewing machine often to reinforce stitches when they start to come loose on my clothes, I hand stitch buttons back on, to mend clothes and dog toys and have made clothes from scratch. I had a reasonably good idea how the machine worked, but it was great to see it on a large scale to really appreciate how precisely the machine has to run to catch the loop on the underside. Gave me an even greater appreciation for the engineering that went into a sewing machine.
I have seen cobblers stitching like this. They have a needle that kinda looks like a screwdriver🪛
I remember when young asking grandmas and aunts how sewing machines worked. They could tell me how to make a sewing machine work, but not how the machine actually achieved the feat. Great video. Loved the super large model and how you kept adding improvements to it. It's truly amazing how people can get things to work with such fine tolerances.
My mother was a seamstress and knew sewing machines inside and out.
I took that and well, always have been good with mechanical things and figured out the finer details, such as gear timing and finding timing marks to sync up the shuttle and needle. Came in handy when removing a shuttle, as someone forced the cloth through and bent the needle, burring the shuttle and catching and not releasing the thread. And figuring out bobbin tension problems.
I'm a sewist and own 7 machines ranging in age from 1907 (Singer treadle model 27), some vintage ones, to modern computerized ones. I had no idea how they worked until I learned how to take apart, clean, and put back together the oldest ones.
You did an excellent job on this video.
I still don't understand how the bobbin and the top thread twist around each other. Would you explain, please? I keep expecting the axle to be an obstacle, and I'm not clear about how the yellow thread got around the orange thread.
I'm talking about 11:00.
@@eugenetswong Not sure if the video link in my following comment works, but if it does (UA-cam has a tendency to block links) it should show animations on how they work. A video by a needle manufacturer Groz-Beckert. If the link doesn't work the video is titled "Stitch Type 301: Double Lockstitch in Slow Motion" and the UA-cam channel is called "Groz-Beckert" with a green thumbnail with "G . B" (the dot is in the middle between the G and B).
@@AlexKallThank you. I'll check it out.
In the mean time, I want to mention what I learned from another video.
In that video, we can see the thread go around that first hook, plus a frame-like thing. It's all 1 piece of metal. I think that we would be able to wiggle it. The frame holds a case, which encapsulates a spool. So, there are 3 parts, and all of them do not contain an axle, and none of them are stuck to the machine.
In other models, I think that the hook is separate from the outermost frame, which means that the hook would need to come back.
@@AlexKall I watched your video, but the video that I saw seems better.
How a sewing machine works - Animagraffs
Your video implies that there are 2 parts plus the spool inside, but it isn't clear about what holds the bobbin in place. I assume that in the actual machine there is another component that does the trick.
It's so much clearer now. Thank you!
@@eugenetswongthe guy says "the loop can pass around the bobbin", which sounds like the axle of the bobbin should end up inside the loop. Think of it instead as the loop being grabbed by the hook on the bobbin and rotated in a full circle by the bobbin. Then the hook lets it go, and waits to catch the next loop. Every time it catches a loop, the bobbin slips its own thread through the loop before letting it go.
0:25 So, in order to invent the sewing machine we first had to invent… teleportation
i found an 1890s White brand vibrating shuttle treadle machine at a town dump last summer! it was such a lucky find - it had everything except the drive band, which was maybe a $10 replacement part i bought online. i have no idea how long it had been sitting, or where, but it was pretty grimy and the treadle base had a fair amount of rust on it. i cleaned it up, oiled all of the parts, and sanded/repainted the rusty cast iron base with some black rustoleum. this took a few afternoons of work, but it immediately started making perfect stitches during the first test! i’ve had it for around a year and a half now and i’ve made so many projects on it. it powers through everything i’ve thrown at it, even heavy weight denim and canvas. i use it all the time!
How wonderful! Thank you for giving it another life! I hope it serves you well for decades to come!
Nice!
I frequently show my Maths and Physics students your videos for many years, I would like to assure you that all my students (and of course myself) are very grateful for your amazing teaching. Thanks again.
you sir are a great teacher :)
I absolutely love how you built your own giant sewing machine model to explain this.
I'll admit I didn't expect to see the author of Chocolate Doom here. Fellow man of culture.
If you want to see an even bigger sewing machine look for ..the secret life of the sewing machine....one of a series of videos (vintage 1980s) a genuine master of technical education Tim Hunkin.. All of utube. best regards.
IKR?! 😁👍
@@neilfurby555Tim Hunkin's youtube channel is great!
@@RCAvhstape Pleased you think so, he is a bit of a legend in the creative engineering/entertainment world !!!
As someone who has been sewing my entire life and now works as a seamstress for a furniture company, it's nice to see the humble sewing machine getting the attention it deserves. It's also nice seeing how others are impressed by it. That's right, what I do is pretty cool. These diagrams and models are some of the easiest to understand that I've ever seen.
This video triggered some serious childhood flashbacks! In humble Pakistani homes, my mom was the sewing maestro, and that machine was her magic wand. Always wondered how it worked, but back then, no UA-cam and definitely no disassembling privileges - that was a one-way ticket to punishment! Thanks to this channel, I can finally decode the sewing machine mysteries without risking timeout or grounding. Sewing, science, and a hint of childhood rebellion - who knew it could be this entertaining? gonna show this video to my mum
Even touching the bobin mechanism was not a previlage.
I likewise had a similar upbringing, per mom’s sewing skills and me, NOT BEING ALLOWED to even ‘think’ of approaching her machine with any tool, to figure out what secrets lie within it’s complications or complexities.. I was mystified by its actions, being an A.D.D. child of the 70’s. That all said, by the time I was in Junior High School, I had already taken so many things apart of a massive variety of fields, that I was making side dough during summers, servicing/refurbishing /restoring/repairing vacuum cleaners, typewriters, film cameras, lawnmowers, pool pumps, vintage radios, record players, reel to reel machines, stoves/appliances & of course, sewing machines! But I never ever messed with mom’s machine.. less oiling it and, once in a blue moon, changing belts! I remember once though, while typing this, that it’s treadle pedal variable resistor speed control, had its “smoke leak out” (I had a college teacher for automotive repair certification, explain this rather hilarious notion of how electricity is actually ‘smoke’.. you never want to see it leak out of things! POOF! The item/part/component is now dead. 🤣). My mom was so bummed out over that happening.. she allowed me to take THAT apart.. just had bad wiring that grounded out. I rewired it and had it back up and running in no time! Of all the times I’d tinkered with various vintage/antique sewing machines, for general service procedures, I recall being always a bit intimidated by their engineering, with not quite having a thorough understanding of what exactly was taking place, between above and below.. until this breakdown you’ve so carefully put together! THANK YOU!
Glad to know that someone from my country also enjoys varitasium and not the usual and useless TikTok
Same here in India, neighbour ❤
I haven't even tried to think about how it worked...
But the video blew my mind
I'll explain this to my mother and see her reaction
I'm a mechanical engineer and a grown man. I still consider a sewing machine to be a magical device. Thread go down, thread come up. Magic.
I, too, have those qualifications, plus being a Solder, and I would call it PFM. Pure f***ing magic.
Make that three of us. These are the dark arts.
Aye, let it be four! I'm currently trying to repair one, and I am absolutely mindblown by how much is going on inside one of these. This video is part of my education in trying to figure its magic out. :)
Five, ser. We'll have those witches for good 'ere a sixth joins.
us mechE's typically think of the steam engine as the ultimate example of our field, might change it to sewing machines lol
Thank you for this video. My mother is a dressmaker, and ever since I was about 16, I have pulled apart her machines and tinkered, fixed and broken them when they have stopped working well. The mechanism is amazing. What is more amazing is that they can be made and sold for as little as $50.
welcome
In the 1960s there were children's toy sewing machines that cost very little. They did the chain stitch, maybe not with complete reliability.
It was also possible to buy very cheaply 100 year old Willcox & Gibbs chain stitch machines from antique shops and auctions; these were really well made, with spherical bearings at the ends of the connecting rod that coupled the upper and lower mechanisms. Most of these very old machines will last forever if you oil them occasionally.
@@cedriclynch My sister had a toy machine that did the chain stitch, that would have been the late 70s. You just triggered my memory, thank you. The thing used to run on batteries and chew through them in about an hour. My sister, being older and therefore my boss used to make me wind the wheel on it once the batteries were gone so she could make another dress for her dolls.
@@spindoctor6385 The thought occurs to me that toy sewing machines are probably now banned in many countries, unless they are dummies that do not actually sew. In the UK and the European Union it is now illegal to sell anything with an accessible sharp point to anyone under the age of 18.
@@cedriclynch Lol, just the caring government trying to save their people from what would be a pretty horrific way to go. Death by sewing machine would be pretty gory.
It wouldn't surprise me if they were banned just because they actually allow people to create something.
At last! I have asked so many people how sewing machines work. I have looked at the machines, consulted experts, read manuals, and none told me how they work. I was amazed that people who worked with sewing machines for a living had no knowledge of, nor curiosity in, how they work.
I started out by collecting them and now I've had them all and they're all amazing and I understand everything
I don’t believe you because I just disproved you with a simple Google search “how a sewing” didn’t even fill it fully out and there is all the information you could ever need.
Because maybe when it's your job you have no real interest in it.
It's the same nowadays with computers. Most people have one in their pocket but much less care about the inner "magic"
Curiosity is basic human nature so I guess when something is a part of everyday life one doesn't ask for the how but accept the fact it's working because it's so ordinary. New stuff tend to be more interesting. Maybe some doesn't care when they know something is complicated and/or they wouldn't benefit from learning about it. Thus their curiosity is spent elsewhere.
@@Mermete8 Yeah that seems to be an issue with younger people in particular these days, might have grown up with technology far more advenced than someone like me as an 80s kid but all they're exposed to is a UI on a phone or tablet so simple that anything under the surface is a mystery rather than something you actually worked with and learned about. There's actually kids in high school now that don't even have an idea what folders or files are let alone the bare basics of the hardware.
I don't know what's more awesome: The engineering "below" sewing machines, or the fact that you build a gigantic model to show us the process. Simply one of the few remainig actually great channels in YT.
Now, about sewing machines, as impressive as these are, there are other, more complex machines, such as the "flatlock" and other specialized industrial machines.
And the animations were awesome too!
I think my favorite sewing machine has to be Merrow (overlock), I can't get past how good they sound
@user-tn8uu2cu8g I have said your words and nothing happ... wait... oh, oh, Allah! Yes! You are the only one! What are you saying? Two twin towers? I think that they don't exist anymore my lord... please choose other building so we can show the world your love!
My Great-Grandmother had a Singer machine, was incredibly proud of it and it still works today. In the Balkans, we have a saying "Radi k'o Singerica!" - "It works like a Singer!", when something works perfectly. Incredible piece of history lodged in our cultures. Thanks for this :)
Hahaha we have the same in Finland!! "Käy niinku Singeri" is said when some machine works well! :)
Older saying here in the USA particularly about cars and engines. "Runs like a sewing machine."
I don't doubt what you say. The problem with Singer NOW is that they rely on their name and reputation. They still make good machines but also some cheap ones that are held together with glue. When THEY break, they can't be repaired.
@@RixTTube Yeah man, most companies went that way, unfortunately.
In one of his videos, Mamat Tingting's channel discussed how the manually calibrated Singer sewing machines worked really well, while the newly produced Singer machines are now often jammed even when you have just bought it.
I’ve been a Parachute Rigger for the Navy for over 18 years and we still use some of those old Class 7 oscillating machines. Some of them are nearly 100 years old and they are powerful enough to punch through a stack of 3 quarters.
I’ve worked on a few that came through the shop which have the Navy anchor stamped beside the serial number. Converted a few to have reverse and to sew synthetic lifting slings.
Is the Speedy Stitch, or something like it, used by the military?
Class 7s are true beasts!
Three quarters of fabric, surely. Not three actual quarters. … Right?
@@liesdamnlies3372 ….I know what I said. Lol
Aeronautical engineer here. My Mom used to sew all the time when I was a kid and I even tried my hand at it. Never really thought about the mechanics of it until I desired to do some sewing for the boat. Have a brand new Sailrite machine sitting in the box. Your video lifts the curtain off the mystery of stitches, making assembly and operation more intuitive.
Thanks.
Props to the animator(s) on this vid, I can't imagine how nightmarish it probably was to animate those threads in 3D.
What software did he use to achieve that?
@@Kamil-mo3kj Probably blender lol.
Eh, you animate it once in probably 90/120 frames and it can loop, not too bad to do, but the artist did a great job, they're nice renders, very clean read!
@@jynxbot352 Yeah, the physics is nutty xD.
Bro 'this rotating hooks are messing with my mind. How in the world is the thread going past the axel? I don’t know if anyone can understand my problem. 😮
I design exhibits for museums, and frequently those designs include an interactive component that requires some sort of mechanical gadget. Let me say this:
Whoever designed and constructed that demonstration model deserves a freakin' Nobel Prize.
Thanks brother. Not gonna lie, it took me a minute to figure out how to actually get it to work. Thanks for the kind words
@toxicimagestudios9547 I was in awe of the model too! So good!
@@toxicimagestudios9547someone should make a few of the models. Kiwicrate makes kits for kids to assemble and learn from. They might buy a thousand from you if you made the design smaller.
Ha! What I get for commenting before the video is even over
@@toxicimagestudios9547 Seriously, extremely well done. It's hard enough to figure out how to get the real machine to work, but to make an EXTREMELY simple version of it, that can show off multiple forms all in one display is impressive work. Well done, sir.
I remember a teacher telling me that one doesn't always need to move miles for a revolution. Sometimes it is just one inch. Then he showed the ordinary needle and the needle of a sewing machine. We were so much influenced by those words.
What a great teacher!
The engineering brilliance of a sewing machine seamlessly intertwines precision, innovation, and efficiency, transforming the intricate art of stitching into a marvel of technological ingenuity.
Thanks for this one! As a professional sailmaker I was very entertained and amazed by the historical facts of these machines. And yes, the quality of those older machines is amazing. Our workshop has 2 machines older than 50 years still going strong on a daily basis. Just keep them greased! I've shared this one with my collegues resulting in entertaining conversation! Made my day!
I used to live and work at Georgetown Yacht Basin Marina in Maryland, those sailmakers' tables are the longest tables i have ever seen in my life
Just a heads up; the lockstitch is way older than your video implies. It's been a common method for Sailmakers, sailors, and Leatherworkers for many centuries before the sewing machine was first invented. Though, I forget if the modern stitching awl was invented in the 17th or 18th century, but that and/or a regular needle would do the trick when used with a shuttle or bobbin. Weisenthal's two sided needle may have been the precursor of the stitching awl-and-bobbin; if the latter was invented in the late 18th century. Or, it could be the other way around, if the stitching awl-and-bobbin is from the 17th century. I believe that the groove wasn't added to the awl until at least the last last half of the 19th century, possibly the first half of the 20th.
Overall, an amazing, top-notch video, as always.
(Edited because I had to disembark the bus before I got the full post written)
I’ve seen a lock stitch on birchbark canoes also, but it’s essentially created by using two needles and doing two running stitches. Is there any evidence that sailmakers etc ever passed a bobbin through a loop of thread and maintained one thread on the top and the other on the bottom? In leathercraft it’s called a Saddle Stitch.
@@michellebwilson2610 Yes. I've been a sailor and practiced Marlinespikemanship, and my maternal grandfather was an old salt and a Naval History Professor. It was usually done with a shuttle, but bobbins were also quite common. Both were used for net working as well.
Edit: IIUC, a saddle stitch is very different from the lockstitch, as the saddle stitch requires both needles to pass through the leather. Kinda like two running stitches that knot at each pass through.
disembark is not a word i've heard in modern context in a long time
@@JBG-AjaxzeMediayeah lmao. Just get off the bus bro.
@@w花b 🤔 But that... That's what disembark means. 🤓 Why use four words when you use one? 🧐
I'm so impressed by that giant needle and fabric model you built! It really shows what is happening.
Really! This guy is passionate about his videos
Large scale replica is credited to Denny Stanley and the Las Vegas Props team, shout out to them
He didnt make it. He borrowed it from other people.
my mother owned a "new home" sewing machine for over thirty years, it's older than me, she used it to fix our clothes and make pillow covers, I miss the sound of it, I openend once for maintenance and I was amazed how synchronised and brilliant it is, it's a mechanical masterpiece, love it, you should do a part 2 explaining how threads sizes adjusment happens inside.
My mom literally paid for everything that kept my family alive thanks to those sewing machines. I would love an episode on the complexity of a serger, using 4 spools instead of 2!
Second this. How the heck do those things work??
Right? My wife uses one, it appears to have more moving parts than the space shuttle!
🤯 4 spools?!
My confidence from this vid was suddenly deflated
Oh lord, yeah. Those things are nuts. Even ignoring all the computer interaction now.
Minimum thread for serger starts at 3 and goes up to 5. Big probability to find and see what 3, 4 and 5 thread serger stitch would look like here on UA-cam. Good with 3 thread serger is that you can tighten the lower thread looper and loosen a bit the upper looper to create those finished edges for ruffles. No need to fold the edges. 😊
So the best thing if you plan to buy a serger, opt for a 5 thread serger which is a bit pricier BUT you can also use the same machine to function as a 3 or 4 thread serger. Serger stitches does NOT only work as an edge finisher. It also makes as good edge finishing decorative stitch using a different soft nylon yarn on it's LOOPER. 😊 HAVE FUN.
One thing i find fascinating about sewing machines is that back during the world wars, the sewing machine factories were repurposed to make rifle bolts, since they’re able to make things at high precision that were able to handle incredible numbers of reciprocal motions
Singer 1911s are highly sought after by collectors and shooters alike.
@@Bob_Smith19Those bring serious money.
@@Palaemon44 oh snap....one went for auction and sold for over 400K back in 2017.
They were tooled to do such tasks.
As I understand it though, the Singer 1911's were *too* precise, and more easily got jammed.
My grandmother was a seamstress and grandfather was an industrial arts teacher. When I would visit them growing up, I would spend hours in their basement, which was divided in half-one half being full of my grandmother’s sewing equipment, which she used to operate a home business, and the other half was my grandfather’s elaborately appointed wood and metal shop. Despite being divided in half by two seemingly diverse crafts, the whole basement was unified by the fact that both sides contained all kinds of fascinating and ingenious tools and machines, and I spent hours examining and secretly operating them. I was always fascinated by my grandmother’s ancient Singer sewing machine and its confounding array of sundry implements and accessories, and I taught myself to sew both by hand and by machine at a young age, and have always kept a sewing machine in the house since. It’s a very practical skill and tool to have in your belt.
Yea, I learned to do it at a young age as well, and now I'm the go-to if anyone in the family needs things sewed. It really is good to know how to do it.
I recently found my great-great-great grandmother's sewing machine, it's amazing how these things work.
They are all amazing!
@@joycebarker1488 Agreed!
As someone who is a sewist and also an engineer, there is a lot more overlap in these fields than you'd expect. Everything about sewing is clever ways to connect two things to make large complex 3d shapes.
I am a student studying engineering and I love sewing too. Design patterns and connecting the pieces is just like engineering
I know right! Lots of geometry, topology and trigonometry involved!
...and using 2D fabrics to cover the 3D shapes of the body relatively smoothly.
And in the case of supportive undergarments like bras and corsets, garments can be surprisingly supportive and change the shape of the body. A good, supportive corset or bra is a truly a garment engineering marvel.
complex 3D shapes indeed but definitely not large
Surprised the different inventors of the machine didn't sew each other
I sew what you did there.
Boo. 😁
how is this not a top comment?
😂 Boo.
Haha. They did. It’s just not covered in this video.
Our father glanced inside a sewing machine as a kid and exclaimed, "Oh, that's how they work!". He tried to explain it to us as kids but only this video made it clear. Thanks.
Your Dad was spoofing you!
This was fascinating. I'm 73 and made my first crude garment, a simple gathered skirt at age 8 or 9 on my Mom's old Singer sewing machine. I still have that machine but it is just a piece of memorabilia as the electrical cords are shot. I have always marveled at the ingenuity of whomever it was that came up with the plan(s) and now I see it was an amalgamation. Brilliant! Thanks for this.
You might be able to get the cords replaced, if you are so inclined.
another awesome video. my dad and brother are engineers and my mom is a seamstress, so it was cool to see a video that everyone in my family could enjoy!
i bet they were so fascinated by this.
probably the same way i did when i first found out how rice cooker works in elementary. that blew my tiny brain. they just used magnet and heat and boom you got yourself a ricecooker
🥰
A rice cooker is pretty useless....
@@jackgunn8112 cool
@@jackgunn8112 I'm a bit lost. It makes rice, no?
I would watch my grandmother sit at her pedal operated sewing machine for hours. I was totally amazed by it.
When we finally got an electric sewing machine it was quite an event in my home, since my grandmother, mother and my sister all did a lot of sewing.
This video explaining how sewing machines actually work has been a wonderful learning experience for me. Now, at 75 years old, I finally understand how they work.
I studied engineering physics, and during the pandemic I learned to sew clothes as a hobby, and ever since I've been fascinated by the inner workings of sewing machines! So this video was an awesome overlap for me 😄 When you talk about the mindblowing amount of clothes that end up in landfill, I wish you had mentioned that this is the awful impact of the fast fashion industry. The invention of sewing machines are not to blame, the problem is the overall mentality of consumerism nowadays.
Welcome to capitalism heh
@@3nertia99% of these clothes come from "communism" but go off with the anti-capitalism queen, if only you knew how much more waste China produces in-house(not export) compared to any other countries in the World. I am not sure you even know what capitalism is as it's not relevant to the industrial revolution which is the cause of these landfills.
Consumerism indeed, people just can't stop buying
He did mention planned obsolescence. A problem with our machines and a problem with our clothing.
damn i wear clothes and shoes until they start falling apart and sometimes (but rarely) i hand sew soemthing if it's not too big of a damage
The power of this video is in the clarity of it's illustrations! I have been confused about how sewing machines work for 40 years. Using video with the image blown up till the thread is the size of knitting yarn, I can finally see what's really happening. Over the past several decades, I have read books and articles, and watched documentaries on cable TV, but they all left me with questions about details of the dynamics of the process. Thank you for creating this excellent explanation!
When I was a kid I was always amazed by this, I actually asked my aunt who used to sew a lot how it work and she opened her machine and showed me. I went on to study mechanical engineering after that.
I started crocheting recently and learning how to make stitches is actually kind of mind blowing. The fact that a sewing machine is essentially doing the same thing super fast is really cool.
The chain stitch is used quite a lot to close large bags of loose goods, like dry dog food, fertilizer, and so on.
As a experienced crochet nerd I must respectfully disagree. For one crochet sits in a grey area. It is fabric creation like weaving but it is also fabric manipulation through pointy means. It is needle work by technicality. The only crochet stitches that machines can even begin to replicate is the chain stitch. Time line wise crochet was one of the last fabric based hand crafts invited and as such it is the most physically complex. As of now it is also the only one that machines are unable to replicate. Every crochet design comes from about 7 basic stitches. The basic stitches themselves require a lot of precision hand movements that work both the fabric being made and the hook. However the real complexity in crochet comes from the fact you have to build each stitch individually. By making each stitch its own independent variable you can put basic double crochet in the same space to make a fan stitch or work 1/2 the stitch 7 times in the same space before finishing it to get a puff stitch and both stitches will give you different fabric textures as a result. Crochet has almost endless combinations of fabric density, texture, weight, and 3d shape that my be accomplished from the ~7 basic stitches. The crochet fabric itself also has unique properties. Because of the way it is made the fabric doesn’t have a grain/bias. It can stretch equally well in all directions. They even use crochet models to show high level mathematical constructs because it is the only way to get 3d shapes that can be manipulated into the complex shapes of the constructs.
Yes! The first model is totally crochet! The same crochet that is made at the borders of kitchen towels.
@user-tn8uu2cu8g No thanks. I have no interest in your cult. Or any cult.
Well, other than the one worshipping our Lord of Pasta.
@user-tn8uu2cu8g WTF a praying car is saying while we discuss crochet and sewing machines?!
The next episode needs to be on how you'd program these machines to have different functions. Lately I had to do some alignments on my old 70s Singer machine and I was just mesmerised by the programming shaft. A very complex, rotary set of profiles and grooves that each held a certain program allowing the machine to either sew in buttons, make various zig-zag patterns or sew around the buttonholes. I'm also surprised all this works perfectly after over 50 years of use without any maintenance really.
The model is based on "Singer 834" license and was manufactured in the 1970s by the Polish manufacturer "Łucznik"
Those mechanical control systems on these machines were incredible indeed
The singers are insanely well built. My mum still has an antique one she uses, along with the foot powered pedal table (i was fidgety so i loved that desk with a secondary input to keep my brain happy while doing homeworks).
Victorian era fidget spinner
Recently got my first sewing machine. It’s challenging and rewarding at the same time. This was a fabulous video with the mock up of the large teaching aid. Along with the history. Thank you.
Well that is one off my bucket list. I was always fascinated watching my mom sew and make our clothes. Now nearly 60 years later and being a toolmaker/ machinist I think I would be able to fix the tension on her machine for her now. Miss you mom❤
I've been fixing sewing machines for 26 years and still at it.❤. It's great to see this demonstrated in a way that I can show my customers why their needle or timing is so important! Thank you!
YES. The tension is so important. And sharp needles. Also, the correct needle for the fabric. The type of thread matters, too.
I have been sewing since I was seven years old. I learnt on a Singer treadle machine ( my nan's). It is still working. I have thought a lot about how the sewing machine works.This very informative video has explained it so clearly.
I have Singer machines from about 1915, 1938, and 1969 They do run but will be even better after a good clean. It's very cool to see how they made small changes and improvements over the years. I also have an Imperial from around 1960 and like my Singers it's a beast! They will all sew through anything easily. The 1969 singer actually came with the original paperwork so I know where it was sold and how much each installment payment was. It's a fun bit of history.
Both my father and my mother sewed professionally back in Haiti. My only regret is that I never picked it up”not for a lack of trying”. All in all my 2 of my cousins pick it up from their dad(my moms brother) so most of my family know how to use a sewing machine.
My mom is a seamstress, currently specialising in doll clothing. My parents' house is filled with sewing machines from treadle powered antiques to state of the art modern machines. I've never been able to wrap my head around how they do their thing. Thanks for the enlightenment!
My Father lived in Mexico and Was hired by the Brooklyn Shoe Machine Company in New York in the 60s to fix their machines . I always remember my Father always was working on sewing machines adjusting the timing on the bobbins and making repairs I wished I had paid attention in my teen years instead of chasing tail. This video brought back wonderful memories thank you.
One UA-camr called Makers Muse has always said that a Sewing Machine is one of the best marvels of machinery out there as it has a ton of moving parts and the way in was downscaled into a 'simple' machine that can sit on your table. Super happy to see you cover this machine is such detail!
uploaders
@@mkhanman12345 ?
This video is so freaking good, I can’t even! Thank you for making it! 👏👏
What is even more mind-poofing is the fact that very elaborate and elegant fabrics like velvet, satin and silk have existed for way longer than sewing machines. So the loom was really the first complicated sewing machine ever invented in a sense. Still, sewing those fabrics into garments couldn't be done with a loom but I'd say that most of the inventive work was already there.
The explanation of the shuttle would have been a good point to mention the precedent of the loom.
Weaving cloth from thread with a loom is not sewing.
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You would probably enjoy looking into the history of how looms deeply influenced early programmable computer design by being the first machines to run a series of instructions via punch card.
My grandmother was a seamstress and some of my first memories form 0-5 yrs old are from her workshop, when she was babysitting me... I remember playing with wool, the fabric etc. and the machines and the intricate designs of them... Her workshop was like some kind of Narnia for me... Most people don't know how genious the mechanics of it really are
As a child I would watch my mother using her old Singer sewing machine she got from an old sail makers shop for hours on end. I spent the last 60 years still trying to figure how that mysterious machine worked ! Thank you ! I still have my mom's machine, it was her most valued treasure.
Beautiful.
Wow!
I'm just learning how to use a sewing machine for the first time, and now I'm even more in awe of how my little Singer does its job so well. Thanks for your great visual explanations.
There is something oddly rewarding watching this as a person who sews professionally. This video has given me a renewed sense of pride in knowing how to operate multiple types of these machines.
As an mechanical engineer who loves sewing my own stuff, sewing machine has always been fascinating to me since I was a kid. And my old Singer sewing machine is the most complex and precise machine that I own.❤
I went to college in Glasgow 96-99 to study sewing and clothing machines, I then spent 13 years in a factory that made mattresses and divans. The principal design of sewing machines remained largely unchanged for decades other than the method used to power the machine. I worked on some large multi needled machines, computer controlled machines as well as some that had been bespoke made by old fitters to have longer beds and drive shafts to make repairs on mattress tops. It was a great job and the machines were fascinating in their design and function
I took like a 6 month break from this channel and came back to what feels like YEARS worth of amazing new content. Derek might be the goat youtuber, every single video is entertaining and informative.
In all seriousness, I have had the "figuring out" of this topic on my list of "figuring outs" for a while. I watch leather shoe resoles and other DIY fabrication often. The sewing machine always messes with my brain yet I still maintain a fascination with the operation when seeing it in action. It is also intimidating to me to the point where I have withheld buying one because I dread servicing the machine. Love this channel.
Buy a Brother machine. They are cheap and made to just throw away and buy another one when it craps out!
Please don't do what the above poster suggested. I have several machines and my grandmother was a professional seamstress. The absolute best machine you could buy would be an old Singer. One of the old black, cast iron machines. I have the model 15 my grandmother left to me, still in the original treadle cabinet. It is a powerhouse and has never needed any service that I couldn't perform on my own. I also have a 66, electric that my husband bought for me about 6-7 years ago for Christmas. The machine and the cabinet had been horribly abused. But I asked for it because it was locked up and I knew what to do to fix it. It was just bound up by a nest of thread in the bobbin area, due to it being run for too long with the tension out of adjustment. Then, once I got it unlocked, I was having a problem with the speed being consistent. So, I rebuilt the pedal and it still sews beautifully. I would suggest one of these machines because they are workhorses. Either one will see through several layers of canvas and even leather. And you really can't break one.
They didn't plan on obsolescence back then!!!
I've got a Singer 400 series from the 1960s, and these are also really solid machines that will last for generations. They are easy to maintain and service even if you aren't mechanically inclined. You can find manuals on line and they are extremely easy to follow. I don't know when the modern machines that are either cheap throwaway plastic or computerized marvels for thousands of dollars became the default, but if you can find them the old machines are a better way to go. You can still get parts for them from many sources, not that parts wear out, but you might want some special feet, etc.
Good times dear commenter, may I ask you what is that list of "figuring outs" is? Or what it contains? I'm just curious to know and thought I should as you to *figure out* what that means.
@user-tn8uu2cu8g
Keep your imaginary sky daddy to yourself, please.
One thing I find fascinating is the mechanism in some purely mechanical sewing machines that can change how the parts operate to allow the same machine to make dozens of different sewing patterns. I'm not a mechanical engineer by trade, but I studied it at the university. I can't figure even how to start to design such mechanisms.
If you play Minecraft, spend some time learning redstone... Plan something simple, like a door with a locking mechanism. It will help you understand the process of isolating procedures in the whole mechanism to achieve the desired result.
For example.
I had a friend that wanted to make a lava waterfall that he could switch off and then have a water waterfall and then swap back again.
Sounds simple enough, until you realize that lava moves sooooo much slower than water. So i had to add a timing mechanism that would only activate for when the lava was switched off, allowing the lava to disappear before the water was released and turned it to stone. It was difficult because i had to use logic gates to achieve this.
Once you know the processes you need to isolate/activate within a system, the design part becomes easy because you can solve the problem in a step by step process.
When this does that, this part here will do that to activate that, which will deactivate that part until its finished its full cycle.
@@cubiusblockus3973 But your example is essentially electronic. Logic gates and such. To achieve the dozen different sewing patterns using an electronic solution is totally trivial. Basically just to program it. What awes me is to achieve that with a purely mechanical solution.
@hugoiwata Afaik, the forward motion is controlled by speed of the sewing machine. The translation is controlled by a disc that is inserted to read head that is mechanically linked to the horizontal motion. So it's like the function y = f(x) where x is the position forward y is the horizontal position and the wheel height is the relationship f(x).
@@medleyshift1325 Amazingly enough, this is almost exactly how early Disney animatronics functioned. They were programmed by discs that mechanically actuated things. It's a solid solution.
As a 20-year beginning sewing instructor at the community college in town, this video is eye candy!!!!!!! Love this whole history !!
I have always been fascinated by machines, the more complex they are, the more fascinating they are. When I was little, I would watch my mother and grandmother sew by hand and by machine, and I would wonder HOW that machine could do such a complicated - and boring - job so quickly with just a (seeming) up and down movement;
Obvious, my parents never allowed me to disassemble the machine, and as time went, other machines absorbed my attention, but this particular curiosity was never completely forgotten.
With this video, the drawings and the larger scale model, I understood. These various people had brilliant and INNOVATIVE ideas.
*EXCELLENT* video with very didatic explanation !!!!
the sewing machine is definitely one of the great marvels of engineering, coming up with these ocilating motions must take very high intelligence and dedication
You'd be surprised how commonly used oscillating mechanisms have been throughout history 🤷♂️.
Wait until you see the Dyson sphere or space elevator that we are going to build.
@@User-jr7vfhhhhhh .space elevator is joke . hope that was sarcasm
@@hehehahahmhmhm it was sarcasm 😄
@@hehehahahmhmhmhhhhh sarcasm is joke. joke that was joke joke
I’m an engineer and my daughter has a starter sewing machine that I was messing around with one day, and I realized that I knew nothing about how these machines worked but I quickly found out they were intricate. This video solved some mysteries in my head that I had pondered on ever since I was playing with my daughter’s starter sewing machine!
My mother has spent most of her life working with sewing machines, and for as long as I remember has owned a couple so I grew around these types of machines, yet I never really thought about how they work. The amount of precise machinery Humans were able to come up with using relatively limited tools and methods never ceases to amaze me!
Worth noting that (as you describe) Singer was initially inspired by the interchangeable parts concept in firearms manufacture. 80 years later, the story would come full circle and the Singer company would manufacture some 500 M1911 pistols for the US Government.
I've always been curious about how sewing machines work. Thanks for sharing this!
It's funny you say that.
I turned 40 this year. I've wondered for a LONG time how sewing machines work.
But I never...ever...looked it up. I would just mull it over in my mind....and give up. It seemed impossible. Yet, clearly, it's more than possible. So this was quite interesting. Finally....I can lay this one to rest lol...
@@avedic Same! getting close to 40 and man did i spend some time wondering about it, but not looking it up, it seemed magical and yet real, how could these thread cross?? Still seem a bit magical even seeing it happen on a big model and step by step to be honest, but quite the day, lol!
@@GabrielPettier This video...and the comments...made me realize this was an unaddressed mystery for a LOT of people 😆
We're not alone apparently!
My mother is a tailor and has been in the work for more than 15 years and it was fascinating for me to know how the machine i saw working since i was child worked. I already love the channel but this video was amazing for me.
My wife's grandmother was a seamstress and has an entire room of their house dedicated to sewing and fabrics, and I've always wondered how in the heck these machines work. I looked it up once and got even more confused and eventually just gave up. This is a godsend for my curiosity, thanks for always being there for us Derek
I am 75 and have spent my life working around machines, designing, building, fixing anything but never gave a thought as to how the humble sewing machine worked. Never too old to learn. Excellent video.
As someone who taught himself how to sew, I've been fascinated by sewing machines for years and I've always been marveled at their complexity and genius.
As an avid sewist, I loved this video! I did know how they worked but I loved your explanation and your model you made was really cool. I could have watched a whole hour long doco on this!
sewer
@@user-os7ec4dm8x a lot of those who sew prefer to use the term sewist as the written form over sewer because it can't be confused/misread as a conduit for waste.
Seamstress, seamster, sewer, perhaps?
Same
Sewism 😔😔
I really love the oversized demo model you made for this video. Excellent teaching device! I spent some time looking at my mum's sewing machine when I was little, trying to figure it out. I didn't really understand it properly until I was older. They're kind of like magic if you haven't had it explained.
Fascinating! Thanks🙏👍
When I first learned of the history of the sewing machine I was just an engineering student and I learned it through accident. It opened my eyes to always look for solutions that don’t rely on existing ways of doing things. 24 years later I still find successful norm breaking ideas as a sweet fruit of engineering. I am now in the habit of ask at the start of a new project: “does it have to be done this way? What is the real end goal?” 😊 Great video. 😊
I deal with that question in my line of work too, programming. Just because it's always been done like this doesn't mean it always has to be.
This is what is NOT taught in schools. They teach what to think instead of how to think. Always, ALWAYS ask questions, and leave it open to alternate ways.
@@katen1228 I would say it depends on the school. I have had a really good time of learning how to think and learn in school.
Sometimes there is a bias against schools brought on by adult hindsight;there is a tendency to believe that a kid thinks the same as when they are an adult. They just don’t. I had enough experience in this area to know that things that are transparent to adults are not to kids, so lessons on learning and thinking may not resonate with them. I know I think differently than I did in my twenties, and so on. I am not talking about opinions but of HOW I think, how I look at something and how I go about evaluating it. I know it will be different as I get older. I don’t think that can be taught in school as it requires a level of maturity that kids don’t have.
Read the book:
The Design of Everyday Things
Donald A. Norman
Everyone should, we would have better designed doors for sure. :-)
My grandmother was an upholsterer and she had both a factory and home machine in her house. When I was in 8th grade, she taught me how to sew on her avocado-green 1970s home machine (she said the upholstery machine would sew through fingers). I remember taking apart and putting the drop-in bobbin back together. Then I'd watch how the machine worked with the cover off as I hand-turned the knob, how the hook would catch the thread and loop it around. Fascinating stuff! I love that you broke down exactly how it worked. I always thought it was the bobbin doing the looping, but this makes more sense.
I have my aunt’s avocado green Kenmore machine she bought herself as a graduation present in 1972. It still works perfectly, thanks to my husband who has made some minor adjustments over the years.
During the pandemic I learned machine sewing. Being a trained scientist and having spent most of my career working in engineering, I found myself amazed with the sewing machine function. One morning I woke up from a dream about sewing, and I realized the top thread had to go around the bobbin on every stitch. They are truly ingenious machines.
I seriously want to know the story behind how the guy figured that out. What was the spark... did he figure it out while showering, or sitting on the toilet, a dream, did he hit his head while hanging a picture frame? Or was it just brute force trial and error?
@user-tn8uu2cu8g This is a Wendy's, sir.
I have a Singer VS2 from 1889. Still works just fine. The engineering on those things is amazing.
It's an incredible talent to be able to remind people how fulfilling it is to learn new things. If a saw a documentary on tv about how sewing machines work, I'd probably change the channel, but I was completely absorbed by this video. Not sure if it's the way it's explained, the video editing, or the passion in the voice, but congrats and thank you for all this videos.
I've often wondered how sewing machines actually work. Thank you for jet another awesome video with brilliant animations and models. All your content has really high value!
Jet another comment where spelling is not a strong point.
Sorry, my mother tongue is German.😉
@@gregorymorse8423 Bruh
Haha :)
The model in this video was actually super helpful. I'd seen the animations before, but I just couldn't understand how a bobbin could be passed through a loop, so this was awecome.
Howdy! Embroidery machinist of two years and counting here. You've done very well explaining the fundamental mechanics of the machines. From day #1 working with these machines I've been utterly fascinated by them. I've ran little Brother machines, Ricoma's, and now I'm running two absolutely BEAST Barudan 6 heads, soon to be a third. I've had my machines apart before to adjust timings, replace springs and belts, clean, etc. - 20 Inch sewing field per head, 90 needles, a thousand moving parts, servo motors and belts, driveshafts and pushbars, all working in perfect unison. The machines are nothing short of works of art. They can lay stitches at 1100RPM and are an absolute blast to watch do so.
I'm absolutely stoked to see a mainstream channel touch on the topic, these machines for the immense impact they have on all of our lives go largely unnoticed. Folks who understand sewing and embroidery are worryingly scarce. Thank you for this video 🙌
Same. The amount of dudes I've seen dismiss sewing as "gay" or "for chicks" is wild considering the ancient history of sewing and the revolution the sewing machine brought with it. So many dudes into cosplay who will limit themselves to 3d printing everything because they're afraid sewing will, I dunno, emasculate them or something stupid? It's bizarre. Sewing is an everyday skill everyone should know.
@user-tn8uu2cu8g my Arabic buddies say the same thing, on Jah bro!
Had this conversation 2 weeks ago with wife about how intricate and the amount of engineering that goes into these. Instinctive knowledge not real knowledge. This video is great and I never knew the depth of these machines, just they were incredible.
My Mom got into sewing after she retired. It took her a couple of years to actually get good enough to make a kid's blanket or something like that. This is one of those skills that requires the human touch and evades most advancements in technology. Despite changing the stitching pattern, adding a bobbin, and so on, it's still the same archaic sewing of threads we've been doing for thousands of years. Without an entirely new method of stitching clothes together, such as with lasers melting something like thread, or some kind of unimaginable breakthrough, sewing will be basically the same forever.
Great comment!
Oh. There are plenty of breakthroughs that might be "unimaginable" to some.
Making arbitrary objects with nanomachines putting all the atoms wherever.
(Star trek replicator)
I know this was about the mechanics of machine sewing, and that is amazing (I still want to know how mechanical machines do all their stitch types) but I think sewing is an underrated skill. I like to call it "applied topology" because it is basically turning flat pieces into three dimensional garments. And once you understand that, you can design and make nearly anything.
Thank you so much I’m 79 years old and this is a niggled me for years. Exactly how it works
Being a person who always has to take things apart and figure out how things work, I have ALWAYS wondered how a sewing machine has worked since I was a kid!
When I was a younger kid, I watched a hay baler tying knots in twine to secure the bales. Still haven't figured that out. It knots and cuts the twine in one process.
I am a quilter and, of necessity, a part-time sewing machine trouble-shooter, and I love this video. Thank you.
My mother was a humble poor seamstress, thus I learned embroidery at 8, and the use of the sewing machine at age 12. When I was in Grade 5, one of the practical tests given by our Home Economics teacher was winding and threading up the bobbin, which fueled up my curiosity as to how the bobbin worked, since it was placed hidden and tucked away in such inconspicuous area, which my little hands and bespectacled eyes could hardly reach. Many, many thanks for this video - you opened my eyes to the wonderful secret of the bobbin case!😁😁😁
This is the first video where i actually know alot about the subject. I was raised by a single dad, that would sew my cloths and make me custumes for halloween. I was blown away by how they worked and my dad ended up teaching me just about everything you could know. What always blew my mind was how you could get different thread patterns just from a single needle going up and down.
I feel like watching this video would make you better at sewing. If you know how it works you can avoid making errors.
My mom has a sewing machine that she uses for diy projects and I've always wondered how exactly it works, this video explains it so clearly and I love the giant needle model that you built! The tailors destroying Thimonnier's machines is so sad :((
france ☕
This happens every time someone invents something that pushes humanity forward but also disrupts established jobs/processes at the present time, there will always be those that will resort to violence to stop it, but if history taught me something is that, you can't stop progress.
@@1eV Same thing happened in Britain, where Luddites trashed the machinery (and coined the term).
@@Argoon1981 This feels like a very Manichean view of it. Sewing machines, and technology in general, only push humanity forward if they're used in a context where most people benefit from them, and that is not always the case. These people were at a risk of losing their jobs in a context where there was little social security, so it's understandable that they were anxious. Ideally, when you have that sort of creative destruction, you would also have safety nets in place.
Progress can be stopped, unfortunately, and it doesn't have a single definition.
@@Argoon1981 It will be interesting to see the Luddite Only Fans models try to lash out with violence against the new AI models.