A Hilarious & Dramatic History of the Sewing Machine

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 22 бер 2023
  • Save 20% on your first Native purchase! Click here bit.ly/nativeabbycox7 and use my code ABBYCOX7 #ad
    Have you ever wondered about the invention of the sewing machine? Who invented the sewing machine? Why is Singer the most famous brand of sewing machine? Why did Elias Howe sue everyone who made sewing machines in the 1800s? Did Singer really look like Daniel Day Lewis from Gangs of New York?
    Well, today, we're answering all those burning questions, that I know keep you up at night. The history of the sewing machine is dramatic (to say the least), extremely interesting (i mean, who doesn't love American Patent Law History? I know I do!), and frankly, hilarious (bad acting aside).
    References:
    The History of the Sewing Machine, 1872, James Parton: quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/ajs2...
    Scientific American: www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
    americanhistory.si.edu/collec...
    patents.google.com/patent/US6...
    And assorted historic newspapers from different newspapers databases (best ones are New York Tribune via ProQuest)
    Singer Sewing Machine Database: ismacs.net/singer_sewing_mach...
    The absolute shade: www.singer.com/history
    If you don't get the French Tailor movie reference: • Office Space - Printer...
    if you don't get the ‪@ComedyCentral‬ Drunk History rip off format: • Coca-Cola Was Invented...
    Thanks to Gretchen for giving me that wee little sewing machine that never worked properly so I could beat it with a baseball bat for UA-cam clout. (with a Louisville Slugger cause I will always represent my hometown)
    ‪@CurioByBSpokeDesigns‬ is my favorite channel for Singer Sewing Machine restorations and I followed his guidelines as best as I could while fixing up my machine.
    PS. My machine is a Singer 27 from 1898 w/ the Sphinx decals and I got it at a thrift store in Ohio.
    *No functional sewing machines were harmed in the making of this video.
    #fashionhistory #sewingmachine
    🥳Socials
    Website: www.abbycoxcreates.com
    Instagram: / iamabbycox
    Patreon: / abbycox
    Tiktok: / iamabbycox
    Join this channel to get access to perks:
    / @abbycox
    📚My books:
    The American Duchess Guide to 18th-Century Dressmaking: amzn.to/2GrkAIQ
    The American Duchess Guide to 18th-Century Beauty: amzn.to/2TTwJtq
    💌Business Inquiries ONLY abbycox@viralnationtalent.com
    (This email goes directly to my management and not to me.)
    📪 Abby Cox
    642 N. Madison Street
    Bloomington, IN 47404
    🎶Music via Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com)
    **I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. By purchasing items through the links listed above, I could earn a small commission for your purchase. Thank you.❤
    NATIVE BODY WASH REVIEW #NativePartner #Bodywash
  • Навчання та стиль

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1 тис.

  • @AbbyCox
    @AbbyCox  Рік тому +87

    Save 20% on your first Native purchase! Click here bit.ly/nativeabbycox7 and use my code ABBYCOX7 #ad
    I had way too much fun filming this video 🤣🤣 @CurioByBSpokeDesigns was the channel I used for helping know how to clean my machine! He's the expert - not me! References are in the description if you're interested, and the machine I was working on is my new (to me) 1898 Singer 27 vibrating shuttle treadle machine. I got her in Ohio for a steal of a deal! Let me know if you all want a video about the different feet and accessories that came with it! Also - because I can't tell hear tone in comments - the toy sewing machine *never* worked - my neighbor gave it to me instead of throwing it in the trash, and I *obviously* cleaned up the plastic - why would I leave plastic chunks all over my yard? 😂

    • @sentimentalcircuscurator
      @sentimentalcircuscurator Рік тому +6

      "damn it feels good to be a gangsta" : )

    • @mza2195
      @mza2195 Рік тому +4

      Yes please! I would love a video about the accessories.

    • @_Darkhitect_
      @_Darkhitect_ Рік тому +1

      Your freaking funny as hell an cute as f*** lol

    • @KristenStieffel
      @KristenStieffel Рік тому

      Heck yeah

    • @MzClementine
      @MzClementine Рік тому +4

      This couldn't have come in a better time. I'm only 2 minutes and 33 seconds in and I am laughing. Hilarious. This is hilarious. Walk on French, all.. Rock on..

  • @MJohannaS89
    @MJohannaS89 Рік тому +1533

    This is like watching a one woman drunk history and I‘m here for it. Well played.

    • @AngiDas
      @AngiDas Рік тому +22

      That’s what I was thinking too, and it’s brilliant! Great job Abby!

    • @lajoyous1568
      @lajoyous1568 Рік тому +14

      I was also thinking about Drunk History 😂🤣
      Love that show and loved this too.

    • @brandyloutherback9288
      @brandyloutherback9288 Рік тому +22

      Make this a series! One Woman Drunk History, I'd watch the heck out of it!

    • @sarahallegra6239
      @sarahallegra6239 Рік тому +5

      My thoughts exactly! I love it!!

    • @deolindatilus508
      @deolindatilus508 Рік тому +4

      Made my night 😊

  • @maryhildreth754
    @maryhildreth754 Рік тому +634

    I'm 58 and been hand sewing all my life, and only last year tried a machine. I borrowed a simple brother machine from a friend because I wasn't sure I would like it. My grandmother, who lived with us,hand sewed a lot of clothes for herself and my mother and me. This went on until about 1972 when she bought a machine. She liked it and it helped her make a lot more pieces, but she was also slightly wary of it and I was never allowed near it because she thought I would sew my fingers lol. She taught me to hand sew pretty young and I still prefer that method, but if I have a lot of long, boring, simple seams, I will use the machine.
    Also, last week I somehow managed to sort of sew one finger. My grandmother was obviously right.

    • @Tvianne
      @Tvianne Рік тому +14

      That's basically what terrifies me, lol! And I can barely sew at all!!!

    • @carolynworthington8996
      @carolynworthington8996 Рік тому +24

      I remember my mom sewing into her finger with the machine once. But she didn’t quit, and she taught me to sew on that old Singer, which I still have. And I’ve never sewn my finger, but I’ve stuck myself plenty of times sewing by hand.

    • @carolynworthington8996
      @carolynworthington8996 Рік тому +6

      I’d like to try hand sewing a garment or maybe a bag sometime.

    • @rangerlove7
      @rangerlove7 Рік тому +6

      I was forbidden from using my aunt’s sewing machine for the same reason lol

    • @humanwithaplaylist
      @humanwithaplaylist Рік тому +3

      ​@@carolynworthington8996 it's good fun!

  • @dipct1719
    @dipct1719 Рік тому +438

    So funny, this video came out during one of the biggest protest I have ever been in, in my home town (In France, obviously), where the Police went all out on the tear gas and the flash ball guns. Thank you Abby for supporting our national habit. We will keep on protesting :) Great video, as always ❤

    • @lililangtry1881
      @lililangtry1881 Рік тому +34

      Also our revolutionary ways is what gave us that great modèle social. People like to paint us as angry lazy people, but we do have social security. The British for example, like to turn up their noses at our supposed lack of work ethic, but a lot of them flock to Britanny and Normandy to get their teeth fixed.

    • @emmao6578
      @emmao6578 Рік тому

      ​@@lililangtry1881 I think a lot of leftist british peeps view you more highly than you think, the comments under a lot of the uk political content I see on social media is full of comments with people saying things like "when will we finally take a leaf out of Frances book" and "this wouldn't bloody happen if people got off their bloody arses and did something like the french". Admittedly that's sadly not many of us and protests/strikes are increasingly demonised in this country, it's really depressing. Even when there is a good turnout it's either barely reported or its majorly biased reporting and the Tories ignore the actual issue raised to instead push their agenda of more restriction on protests/strikes by going on about how disruptive they are.
      Anyway, good luck with your efforts to stop the retirement age being changed, I'm hoping it might inspire more people over here to be a bit more radical.

    • @Magosienne
      @Magosienne Рік тому +3

      Honestly, I found the intro rather distateful and inappropriate (I'm thinking about hte people who sadly got hurt in the process, there is nothing funny about that), but I couldn't watch the video past 1 minute, so maybe I fail to understand the humor in this particular video 🤨.

    • @New_Wave_Nancy
      @New_Wave_Nancy Рік тому +11

      I'm visiting France now and the train strikes have made us get creative with our transportation. We usually rely on the French train system. I support the workers though and wish I was French rather than from the US. Vive la France!

    • @krysab6125
      @krysab6125 Рік тому +2

      ​@@lililangtry1881Honestly, as a Brit, I wish we were more like you!

  • @TsarevnaMaria
    @TsarevnaMaria Рік тому +240

    As a owner (hoarder) of 10+ antique Singers, all ranging from 1871 to 1957, thank you this! I’m currently working on my wedding dress using my trusty 66-1 Red Eye from 1913. These machines are eternal!

    • @theprojectproject01
      @theprojectproject01 Рік тому +18

      When I quit drinking, I needed a new hobby and somehow landed on vintage sewing machines. I started with a Husqvarna Viking 21E; and now I have like 60 of the stupid things. Mostly Japanese and European all-mechanical domestics. Oddly? I don't have a 66, and my 15 is a 15-125 'facelift' model in mint green with a potted motor.

    • @lisamcdonald2877
      @lisamcdonald2877 Рік тому +8

      I learned to sew on a circa 1940 Ruby treadle machine and loved it. I still have it, though it needs a service. I hope to sew on it again one day.

    • @dr.gwendolyncarter5048
      @dr.gwendolyncarter5048 Рік тому +4

      Congrats!

    • @CraftyVegan
      @CraftyVegan 10 місяців тому +2

      My husband stopped on the side of the road to grab some pegboard that was on the curb being thrown away, and he sent a video of all the junk on the sidewalk and I saw a hinged cabinet…

      And so I did a screen cap and he grabbed the cabinet and opened it and it was an electric 1946 Singer 15 model!!!
      The old man who lived in the house came out and basically told my husband that he was super happy someone was gonna be able to use the sewing machine. And that it was a “good beginner machine”
      Which… maybe in the 40s it was a good learning machine, but it’s significantly more temperamental now, lol

    • @baire702
      @baire702 6 місяців тому +1

      I couldn't agree more!

  • @Chaotic_Pixie
    @Chaotic_Pixie Рік тому +233

    The difference between fathering the child and raising the child. Howe may have been the father of the invention but Singer raised the interlock sewing machine and informed its growth & future decisions.

    • @SecretSquirrelFun
      @SecretSquirrelFun Рік тому +7

      Well put 🙂

    • @miipmiipmiip
      @miipmiipmiip Рік тому +37

      In this analogy, Singer kidnapped the child and raised it well but kidnap he did.

    • @Chaotic_Pixie
      @Chaotic_Pixie Рік тому +10

      @@miipmiipmiip did he? Singer made key improvements & marketed the crap out of it while Howe was busy being supremely litigious rather than actually building a business. Howe is the father who sued for visitation and then dumped the kid on a relative during visitation. Meanwhile, Singer is the step parent who coached little league.

    • @HandmadeDarcy
      @HandmadeDarcy Рік тому +12

      @@Chaotic_Pixie You're forgetting the decades of struggle after inventing the child, trying to sell it honestly to businessmen who claimed to his face that it was too expensive to manufacture, but immediately - immediately- began reverse engineering it from his presentations and/or copies of the patent itself. Remember, when he came back after losing everything and having to pawn the patent to survive, his machines were everywhere - it wasn't only Singer. Creative genius rarely comes with the worship of money that is at the soul of an entrepreneur - that's why entrepreneurs always have to steal it.

  • @arthistoryalli2
    @arthistoryalli2 Рік тому +122

    My 94 year old grandmother had an antique Singer she inherited from her mother in law. It got “lost” after Grandma died and no one has confessed to taking it. I’m still mad!!

    • @soneil7745
      @soneil7745 9 місяців тому +3

      You may not be able to get her specific Singer back, but if you have any photos of it (even if it's kinda blurry and in the background) there are people out there who can probably identify it. Old Singer sewing machines never break down, which means they're not rare enough to be expensive. You can get a 110-year-old treadle in working condition for a lower price than a Singer Featherweight.

  • @lafken2
    @lafken2 Рік тому +86

    The reenactments are just ✨Chef's kiss✨ There's nothing I love more than people fully acknowledging how silly people in history are and have always been.

  • @lisahoshowsky4251
    @lisahoshowsky4251 Рік тому +82

    The costumes! 🎩
    The drama! 🎭
    The storytelling! 📖
    This was incredible!🙌

  • @sarahallegra6239
    @sarahallegra6239 Рік тому +231

    Please more Drunk Abby History Lessons! Pick any topic you’d like, we’ll all love it and learn something!

    • @Kera.S.
      @Kera.S. Рік тому +2

      Totally agree! I could watch her do any topic like this. She rocked this one for sure!

    • @MossyMozart
      @MossyMozart 10 місяців тому

      @sarahallegra6239 - I hope not. She has been in therapy and seems to have conquered her depression and tendecy to self-medication. Honor her struggle and triumph.

    • @sarahallegra6239
      @sarahallegra6239 10 місяців тому

      @@MossyMozart “Drunk Abby” = “in the style of the show Drunk History,” which is what she did in this video. I don’t think Abby or anyone else familiar with the show took it as a suggestion to actually drink, especially since she wasn’t drinking in this video :)

  • @Piti_Pingu
    @Piti_Pingu Рік тому +77

    Being a digital artist and hearing you compare the sewing machine with AI made my heart drop. Like I had never thought of it this way. But it made the "threat" very relatable all of a sudden.
    Oh and as a french person the whole bit at the beginning made me laugh so much. It even reminded me of things that have happened in my discord friend group when my friends would sometimes tell me "Pingu, your french is showing again." when I got too rebellious 🤐

  • @CurioByBSpokeDesigns
    @CurioByBSpokeDesigns Рік тому +196

    An absolutely hilarious - yet accurate history of the sewing machine. Isaac Singer's adventures are a whole other video! Oh and I love that wallpaper (I work at a decorators centre so will be scouring our mountain of pattern books as soon as I get a chance!)
    Thank you for the mention. I'm so glad you like my restoration videos (even though they aren't as amusing as yours - Reserved Englishman) x

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +37

      Thank you for you’re great restoration videos!!

    • @Allan_aka_RocKITEman
      @Allan_aka_RocKITEman Рік тому +1

      ​@@AbbyCox>>> A am about halfway through this video. Is the footage of the foot treadle sewing machine being cleaned your video?
      I ask because I have a foot treadle sewing machine that belonged to my maternal grandmother.

  • @Chibihugs
    @Chibihugs Рік тому +112

    I was not prepared for how much Abby's character acting would suck me into the history of sewing but boy howdy was that as enjoyable as it was informative.❤❤❤

  • @Booknerd2201
    @Booknerd2201 Рік тому +90

    When I first started my history course in university we studied the French Revolution, nearly everyone in my class thought oh great we had a little background knowledge due to Les Mis or at least an idea of the time - nope it was a lesson to learn that that was actually the second revolution and we were looking at the first one 😂

    • @am17frans
      @am17frans Рік тому +17

      Les Mis is not even the 2nd, more like the 4th (1789, 92, 1830, 32)... ;) One can argue it was even more.

    • @Booknerd2201
      @Booknerd2201 Рік тому +2

      @@am17frans always learning!

    • @missvioletnightchild2515
      @missvioletnightchild2515 Рік тому +16

      Tbf I'm French and probably learned about the Commune at school but didn't realise for a long time that's when Les Mis was set 😅

    • @Tiger89Lilly
      @Tiger89Lilly Рік тому +4

      Didn't they have a revolution at some point in the 100 year war and stopped for a bit to revolt before continuing to fight the English?

    • @lililangtry1881
      @lililangtry1881 Рік тому +9

      French citizen here, just wanted to say we are indeed pretty revolutionary people. Always angry, always marching, striking for something, the cliché is mostly true.
      Then again we have decent social security, paid leave, parental leave, minimum wage, unemployment benefits, the list goes on. We are currently trying to save our retirement plans. It seems to me more countries should be a little more revolutionary themselves🤷🏼‍♀️

  • @wendynieves7159
    @wendynieves7159 Рік тому +122

    Great video. Singer also came up with a payment plan so even more people could afford his machine. He was definitely brilliant

    • @monicahoger
      @monicahoger Рік тому +8

      I was about to say! I learned about that from reading a novel actually; Belle and the Beau, set in the US just before the Civil War. Belle is a former slave who escapes to Michigan and after she's settled in and starts to do sewing for enjoyment, rather than because she had to as a slave, orders one of the Singer machines towards the end of the book. At the end of the novel, there's even some sources about the Singer machine and other topics too. Pretty neat!

  • @swirlyswirl8369
    @swirlyswirl8369 Рік тому +7

    My great grandma, was 95 in 2003 for reference, was a quilter who thought using a sewing machine was blasphemous 😅. She got paid to travel across the country teaching her hand sewing techniques. Her quilts were displayed at Minetrista in Muncie, IN after she passed. I want to visit the quilt museum in Marion, IN and see if she is mentioned there.
    Her family was chosen to be drawn and painted by Norman Rockwell back in the 40s/50s when my grandma was a little girl. My great grandfather was in a huge painting colloquially called 'The County Agent'.

  • @tracybartels7535
    @tracybartels7535 Рік тому +32

    "Really important THREAD throughout the story of the sewing machine"- ouch! Between that pun and Les Miz and the striped shirt and seeing someone else who has read some French history and/or news, this is my favorite video in ages, and I'm only 5 minutes in.

  • @digitaldgirl4459
    @digitaldgirl4459 Рік тому +104

    I have a Singer Featherweight from my 13th birthday (1972) an older machine at the time. It still works perfectly with new belts and has been serviced and is a delight. It is probably at least 20 years older than I am and is a great travel machine for going to cons and vacation and finishing last minute projects. I simply love it and have kept it all these years. I love my machines (own 7 different machines) and use them all of the time. I NEVER knew there was so much controversy over the invention of the original machine. Your video as always over the top, and a hoot to boot. I love that the price of basic machines has leveled out and the more elaborate machines are cost attainable in this day of resurgence for the creator. I do however do as much handsewn parts to my projects as possible especially the historic one. Thank you for sharing this information in such a whimsical way...oh and Viva' La France'.....

  • @amysullivan2414
    @amysullivan2414 Рік тому +20

    😂 I talk about this with my grade 7 students when I introduce the sewing machine. It blows their minds that Singer was basically the publicist for the sewing machine.

  • @haileybradley6416
    @haileybradley6416 Рік тому +113

    To be honest, that toy sewing machine had it coming. Garbage. I love your storytelling, btw. Giving Drunk History.

    • @HJohnson7567
      @HJohnson7567 Рік тому +3

      Thought the same thing! I think I tried to learn years ago on that exact model and it was infinitely harder than my mom's old babylock.

    • @karinahickman9579
      @karinahickman9579 Рік тому +3

      I had one of those and quickly begged to go use my mom's machines like a "big girl"

    • @miel2argent
      @miel2argent Рік тому +2

      Having attempted to use the Toy machine successfully... that Dramatical re-enactment was so Cathartic! Was it so to you as well, Abby?

  • @DawnDavidson
    @DawnDavidson Рік тому +20

    One of the first musicals I was ever in, during my middle school years, had a song about “the great new safety pin!” The script must have actually said Hunt’s name because when you said he was “more famous for inventing…” my mind automatically supplied “the safety pin”! I was shocked to be correct. :)
    EDIT: Turns out the musical was “Rough N Ready” by Benjamin and Leyden, published in the early 60’s. Haven’t been able to find a libretto or anything about it beyond a list of musical numbers. I played Rosie Pickins in that production in 1974 or so, in a suburb of Rochester NY. I figured this out looking at a Yearbook from Paramus NJ in 1971. This was NOT my school, and several years before our production. But weirdly enough, I lived near Paramus just a few years later, for one year in 1976-77. After that, I moved to California, where I’ve been ever since. California being the location of the musical.
    The internet is a strange place, and everyone and everything in the world is connected, if you keep looking long enough …. 😮

  • @mce1939
    @mce1939 Рік тому +37

    When the Hollywood movie version of this story gets made, Abby shall be the technical supervisor AND the acting coach!

    • @cathryncampbell8555
      @cathryncampbell8555 Рік тому +2

      Plus, Abby Cox will direct the film, provide the costumes and act all of the parts. All she needs is Steven Spielberg to be the producer (i.e., the Money).

  • @judithlashbrook4684
    @judithlashbrook4684 Рік тому +19

    Your portrail of the french is absolute chef's kiss gold! I live in France and can attest that yes as soon as the gouverment make any suggestion of a contentious reform (especially about retirement like at the moment) all hell breaks loose. No one protests like the french!

  • @fullmetalsewist
    @fullmetalsewist Рік тому +24

    I just bought a 1947 Singer with her original cabinet (my first sewing machine), and she is a WORKHORSE. I'm so happy there's such a large community of vintage machine sewers! More history lessons please.

    • @scpatl4now
      @scpatl4now Рік тому +2

      I inherited a machine a year newer than yours, and it had like 10 different feet with it! There is one for almost anything I can think of (the one that makes ruffles is a monstrosity)

  • @nidomhnail2849
    @nidomhnail2849 Рік тому +82

    Another great one, Abby. The Mass. connection may be due to the extensive clothing industry in New England (lots of small rivers, watermills run machines, cheap child labor at the time,. etc.,...).

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +18

      I totally agree!

    • @laurenconrad1799
      @laurenconrad1799 Рік тому +2

      Underwood Typewriters and Royal Typewriters were both manufactured in Hartford, CT. Pretty close by. Though the Remington seems to be an upstate New York and Milwaukee, Wisconsin venture.

    • @americanlady738
      @americanlady738 Рік тому +7

      Those mills in New England and most industries in America and England were only possible because of my family and thousands of other American families who were American chattel slaves. Cotton was king. Read the book "The Half Has Never Been Told" by Edward E. Baptist to learn more.

    • @Carol120454
      @Carol120454 Рік тому

      I live next door in RI, and there was a thriving textile industry here too. We have the first cloth manufacturering mill in the US (Slater Mill) and there were many other weaving mills and clothing factories. My mother and my aunts all learned to sew from working in these places. I learned from my mother. I'm not surprised that the men involved with inventing the sewing machine were in MA.

    • @Carol120454
      @Carol120454 Рік тому +1

      None of these places exist anymore. The Slater Mill is a museum. All the industries went to China. Yes, the contributions of the wrongly enslaved people in the south do need to be acknowledged. The northern industries did rely on poor immigrants and children in their factories. They worked very hard and were paid very little.

  • @MadamoftheCatHouse
    @MadamoftheCatHouse Рік тому +157

    Kudos to Abby not sounding moralistic and preachy when tackling social justice issues. I MEAN it, I'm not being sarcastic.

  • @lyndseytune6716
    @lyndseytune6716 Рік тому +12

    I was gonna say “I want a movie about this” but honestly no one in Hollywood could make a piece of media as good let alone better than your video

    • @leechowning2712
      @leechowning2712 9 місяців тому +2

      We need to get a pareon together... lets fund Abbie and BB to make the film.

  • @marirm5361
    @marirm5361 Рік тому +30

    I actually wrote a college paper on the history of Singer sewing machine's marketing so I'm weirdly obsessed with this topic. Loved learning even more, great video!

  • @rynrose81
    @rynrose81 Рік тому +12

    I recently semi-impulse purchased a 1904 singer treadle machine. The decals were so dirty, the ones on the back were literally invisible and now they have the chance to shine again. I’m looking forward to restoring the desk and drawers this summer so I can really start using her 🎉 These machines are juggernauts and just so bad ass for surviving so long and still sewing perfectly with a bit of cleaning and futzing

  • @gayanderson2242
    @gayanderson2242 Рік тому +10

    Love the historical re-enactments! This is another of the many cases where the inventor isn’t the one getting the credit for the invention, rather it goes to the one who’s better at manufacturing, marketing and selling the invention. Even in cases like Apple where there was a true partnership, the inventor didn’t get the credit he deserved.
    Yes, let’s see more about your treadle machine! Purely mechanical machines are ingenious and we should appreciate them in our computerized age.

  • @elynapege6467
    @elynapege6467 Рік тому +21

    This! This is exactly why history is so hard to follow in a single tread! It's is so nuanced.
    Thanks Abby for sharing (and dramatizing) the history of the sewing machine 🧵🪡

  • @adryanadiniz8453
    @adryanadiniz8453 Рік тому +8

    One thing that I loved when doing research on art history (19th) was uncovering the personal stories of who hated who and who trash talked who, and other little things like this. Newspapers are a great source for historians!

  • @animeloverpokegirl3
    @animeloverpokegirl3 Рік тому +17

    I love this video so much! 😂 It reminds me of exactly how I would “explain” history in a loose summary to my friends when I was in university, and of how I would look at old newspaper articles in archives when I was doing my research for some of my history classes and getting excited by the little drama tidbits in the papers! Thanks for bringing back the nostalgia, Abby :)

  • @acostureirinha
    @acostureirinha Рік тому +14

    Abby, what an amazing video! I always tell a bit about sewing machine history in my sewing classes (btw, Singer also invented payment plans, this was another amazing marketing and sales strategy of his), but your video is packed with information, gossip and super fun impressions! 😂 I Will recommend it to my english speaker students! I love the way you express yourself creatively, such an inspiration, thank you for being just the way you are (and sorry about my english, kisses from Brazil😘)

  • @darkisis22
    @darkisis22 Рік тому +14

    1st off the very beginning shot referencing Office Space was friggin hilarious! Also, Abby, I heard you on an interview over the radio NPR recently! It was so great to hear your insights. ❤

  • @irenerichards9533
    @irenerichards9533 Рік тому +4

    That Office Space copier scene reenactment with the little sewing machine was perfection. This video was as hilarious as it was informative and the sewing machine restoration was soothing

  • @wangofree
    @wangofree Рік тому +7

    The chaos of this video is speaking to me. All history should be taught this way!

  • @yadlajoie7757
    @yadlajoie7757 Рік тому +11

    We do small revolutions to remind the president that if he behave like a king he end up like one 😅

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +8

      I’m just over here watching it happen wishing the us had the same vibes 🥹

    • @yadlajoie7757
      @yadlajoie7757 Рік тому

      @AbbyCox after we take down macron we come to the rescue ( and bring cheese )

  • @mza2195
    @mza2195 Рік тому +26

    I really do love how much I learn from you. The fun, the knowledge, and the sass. I can’t tell you how much you lift up my spirits. My dad passed in December and it’s been tough some days. On the super rough days I just watch your videos!

  • @janetjohnson4167
    @janetjohnson4167 Рік тому +10

    Greetings from East Kentucky! This was a great and fun video! The sewing machine war is such an odd bit of history. My dad's retirement hobby has been restoring antique sewing machines and making quilt tops on them. My sisters and I tease that he runs a home for wayward sewing machines, lol! He owns about 30 including a few Howe machines. Dad has said that someone in Howe's family was a weaver and watching them weave is where Howe got the idea for the shuttle, but I'm not sure how true that actually is.

    • @theprojectproject01
      @theprojectproject01 Рік тому

      I've always thought that story at least felt true. It's not a big jump from a loom shuttle to a lockstitch shuttle.

  • @billieshearstone2963
    @billieshearstone2963 Рік тому +41

    Abby! More historistical stories in this format please. Very entertaining

  • @alethearia
    @alethearia Рік тому +6

    *reinvented the safety pin
    Romans had brooches that are almost exactly like safety pins.

  • @kelseypeterson5172
    @kelseypeterson5172 Рік тому +7

    I have a singer 201 from the 40s and it's still in it's original wood cabinet with the little stool and it still works flawlessly 🥰 I love how durable this machine is, and how i can still buy parts for it even all these years later. This was a very informative and hilarious video. Well done

  • @lajoyous1568
    @lajoyous1568 Рік тому +10

    I love the Drunk History and the footage of your Singer maintenance. It reminds me of when I disassembled and cleaned mine. I do believe you were more thorough than I was. 😊
    Thanks for another amazing video

  • @aneisleeper5515
    @aneisleeper5515 Рік тому +5

    I can't believe you talked about the grills, haha. The CGT which is a union, has cooked merguez and sausages at the end of protests for years. It seemed some people couldn't wait until the end of the walk lol

  • @lauraschilling5088
    @lauraschilling5088 9 місяців тому +1

    Love watching the restoration of that beautiful Singer in the background. I have a 1923 Singer 15-88 treadle machine. No fancy decals on that era, but she works like a champ. And the best part is that it takes modern bobbins, needles, and feet. I added a quick release foot to it and now I can use the zipperfoot from my Babylock on it. I can use a 1/4 inch / 1/8 inch foot if I'm quilting or sewing doll clothes. Buttons and zigzag are even there with a little care using the most amazing geared "feet" I inherited from my grandmother for her long gone 15-91 electric machine (same exact head but with a potted motor hanging from the back.) And I love that I can get rubber belts to replace the old leather ones which had a tendency to stretch and slip. New ones are a tube. Trim it and insert the connector into both ends. Adjustments are a 5 min process and only require scissors. The old leather belt needed a pin vice to drill the hole in the belt, a wicked staple, and a pair of needle nosed pliers to crimp it. Lots of holes in my fingers for that.

  • @melissamenchaca9121
    @melissamenchaca9121 Рік тому +6

    Were your neighbors a bit concerned. Like who hurt you with a sewing machine 😂

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +11

      Nah my close neighbors know what I do and the broken toy sewing machine was from one of them lol

  • @MadamoftheCatHouse
    @MadamoftheCatHouse Рік тому +9

    I don't have to be jealous of Abby anymore. Because I'm adopting my own DOG!

  • @doobat708
    @doobat708 Рік тому +3

    It must've been an absolute hoot to play with all those moustaches 🤣 Howe had great OFMD Calico Jack vibes

  • @fatsparrowsewing
    @fatsparrowsewing Рік тому +2

    I clocked your Office Space destruction of the printer reference, even including the awkward axe kicks!!! I love it!!! Well done!!!

  • @user-el2nh5uo1w
    @user-el2nh5uo1w Рік тому +3

    This is exactly the controlled chaos I needed. Someone needs to turn this story into a musical.

  • @ireneanderson7699
    @ireneanderson7699 Рік тому +4

    Abby!!! I have a sphinx, too! Your machine is gorgeous!! I just squee'd when I recognized your decals. Mine was manufactured in 1906.

  • @ivylavoix
    @ivylavoix Рік тому +6

    "the French government was basically like 'Le Oops'"

  • @paularies3282
    @paularies3282 Рік тому +4

    Shout out from Spencer, Massachusetts here the birthplace of Elias Howe! My sister told me before we moved here which only made me love our home even more!
    Would love to have you do the history of the industrial chain stitch embroidery sewing machine. Similar history of early machines getting destroyed by the tambour seamstresses! I wanted one of these machines since I was in grad school cataloging pieces and saw the beautiful embroidery done by these machines. Finally got one and I'm totally "hooked" 😂

  • @RianShafer
    @RianShafer Рік тому +2

    As usual, this was a fun & enlightening vid. I always enjoy my time spent with you!

  • @jenninstitches
    @jenninstitches Рік тому +3

    The Office Space a la Peaky Blinders moment and Ylvis Brothers (I live in Norway) sent me. There's so much we'll never know how something, even with some foresight and inclination, is going to affect the patterns of society until enough time has passed. The sewing machine is definitely a double edged sword in society.

  • @nocomment2468
    @nocomment2468 Рік тому +3

    Thanks for presenting to us this fascinating slice of history!

  • @Lia_Denwood
    @Lia_Denwood Рік тому +12

    Fantastic video! I loved this newer format you have gone with! The reconstructions are hilarious and made the story ever more dramatic! Men being petty as always!

  • @gillholman1781
    @gillholman1781 Рік тому +6

    Abby, you’re a blast! Never has sewing machine history been presented so magnificently!

  • @chtitmog
    @chtitmog Рік тому +8

    I laughed so hard at the first story! I am French btw. And then you made a wonderful point balancing the story with social and economic background. This was such an interesting and well done video - thank you very much for this!
    I own two vintage Singer 201k, a French labeled antique sewing machine from the beginning of 1900´s (but apparently made in Germany) and I love them. I have heard of Howe before but yes, Singer definitely won the final battle. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

  • @sophroniel
    @sophroniel Рік тому +3

    How is it that I'm watching this on the EXACT day of my saturn return? I wondered what that was so I looked it up from an article from 2019... and it's literally today. I'm spooked now, thanks abby

  • @ClockworkFaery
    @ClockworkFaery Рік тому +2

    I’m just restoring an 1881 Singer fiddle base. She was rusting in a junk shop but now she’s working again. This is my fourth vintage Singer machine. I’m kinda addicted to rescuing them & bringing them back to life. 🧵❤️

    • @mandya9x934
      @mandya9x934 Рік тому +1

      Victorian era sewing machines are my favourite. I have a 13k new family (singer fiddle base) treadle and she is beautiful. Sadly it's difficult finding replacement sewing needles 😢

    • @ClockworkFaery
      @ClockworkFaery Рік тому +2

      @@mandya9x934 I love how people are still caring for these machines. I need a replacement Feed dog, Bobbin winder & Needles for my 12! Wish me luck! 😄

    • @mandya9x934
      @mandya9x934 Рік тому +1

      @@ClockworkFaery Lol, I think we have the same addiction! I have a fiddlebase wertheim also and the great thing about it modern round shank needles fit it and it looks similar to the fiddlebase singers. Best of luck with with your 12k! I am sure you if you got it working it won't be long until you have it restored 🤞👍

  • @deborahkerrs
    @deborahkerrs Рік тому

    i love this format so much!!

  • @fitandhappy42
    @fitandhappy42 Рік тому +2

    Anyone wanting a breakdown of some of more technical aspects of the sewing machines history I recommend an episode of The Secret Life Of Machines from the early 90s, the original creator (the same man behind the strange arcade Abby and others visited last year in London) has uploaded it to UA-cam. It contains a giant needle used to demonstrate lock stitch, as well as a look at a collection of antique machines including one shaped like a lion.

  • @SarahGreen523
    @SarahGreen523 Рік тому +5

    That was a fantastic history story! But.... I kinda want to know more about your refurbishment of that old antique Singer you were doing in the background. What products were you using and how on earth did you know and have the confidence to take it apart? I have an old one like that. It used to work 20 years ago. It would be nice if it worked once again, but I'm not brave or knowledgeable enough to take it apart to clean and oil all the parts. Not sure I could get it back together properly again. Kudos, Lady!

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +7

      I have links to the video and channel I watched that helped me do mine!

    • @SarahGreen523
      @SarahGreen523 Рік тому +1

      @@AbbyCox Just caught this reply! I found the link in the description! Thanks!!

    • @thisbasicstitch
      @thisbasicstitch 10 місяців тому

      ​@@SarahGreen523Have you gotten your machine to work?

  • @catherinerw1
    @catherinerw1 Рік тому +8

    Always happy for geeky history! This was cool.

  • @SparkleFeyed
    @SparkleFeyed Рік тому +2

    I'm so glad you started uploading on Thursdays! Everyone I watch uploads on the weekends, and I was fully expecting to have to dig for something worthwhile to watch tonight. Instead, I got to enjoy this cinematic masterpiece of historical drama 😊

  • @fortunestkeyne1011
    @fortunestkeyne1011 Рік тому +2

    Massachusetts is also the birthplace of the tissue paper pattern. Ebenezer Butterick was inspired by his wife Ellen's frustration with patterns that they developed the multi size tissue pattern and started selling them out of their house in Sterling MA.
    Within a year they were in NYC and Butterick Patterns was born. (And The Delineator...)

  • @PombalFranzOri
    @PombalFranzOri Рік тому +5

    This was a super fun and interesting video to watch. I was also really interested in the things you were doing to clean and maintain your Singer sewing machine. I have a Singer 27 from the early 1900s that I got in almost pristine condition. I gently cleaned it with sewing machine oil and a soft cloth and I oiled it and it runs perfectly, but I'd love to learn more about antique machine maintenance.

  • @rubytook8067
    @rubytook8067 Рік тому +3

    This is awesome! If only all history lessons were this entertaining. 😂The parody with the French tailor beating the $&!@ out the toy sewing machine. And the top hat plus editing between Howe and Singer was chefs kiss. Also, your hair in your narration shots is so pretty!!! 😍 (On a side note; I recently chucked my cheap ass sewing machine out of sheer frustration and decided to sew myself a brand new wardrobe almost entirely by hand. There are a few pieces I am sourcing from verifiable slow fashion but, the majority I am making myself, without a sewing machine.)

    • @rubytook8067
      @rubytook8067 Рік тому

      Also, I just shared this video with a lot of friends and family. 😊

  • @harelquindemon
    @harelquindemon Рік тому

    So interesting! Thanks for sharing Abby!

  • @HazarielAtelier
    @HazarielAtelier Рік тому +1

    As a french person I agree with this depiction of our people. Oui oui merguez for everyone ♥️(Love the vid)

  • @kimberly3299
    @kimberly3299 Рік тому +3

    Okay, please more of the one woman historical reenactments of drama! That was brilliant and hilarious and wonderfully informative!
    (Also, thanks for including the sneaky "tolling of the belles" pun)

  • @annacatherinesendgikoski1965
    @annacatherinesendgikoski1965 Рік тому +7

    Henry Ford took a lesson from Singer!

  • @shobeydaykramer3014
    @shobeydaykramer3014 Рік тому

    So much fun! And so much information! Keep giving us more Abby!

  • @tillie_brn
    @tillie_brn Рік тому +1

    As a French person who literally went to a protest yesterday, the beginning of this video amuses me oh so much. 😂

  • @bw3839
    @bw3839 Рік тому +3

    oh my god, I hope you had as much fun as it seems you did bashing that lil sewing machine! 😂

  • @krose6451
    @krose6451 Рік тому +5

    14:58 anyone else wondering whether Abby had it already or actually bought that thing for the video. And if she had it, why?

    • @melusinenoArashi
      @melusinenoArashi Рік тому

      I suspect if she bought it, it was second hand

    • @mienafriggstad3360
      @mienafriggstad3360 Рік тому

      Actually she said in her question about neighbors; that a neighbor gave her that broken toy sewing machine

  • @mandycollins8795
    @mandycollins8795 Рік тому

    I needed this today -- It's been a rough day, and you brought some light into my life.

  • @amyengdahl6633
    @amyengdahl6633 Рік тому

    As the owner and restorer of 100+ (both lockstitch and chainstitch) antique and vintage machines, I will always stand by these machines as being to any of the modern, plastic, computerized machines. They were built to last generations.
    Thank you Abby for this mini history lesson.

  • @bertmobile
    @bertmobile Рік тому +4

    i'd love to hear more about whatever was up with the lockstitch vs. chainstitch sewing machines later in the century. it seems that chainstitch has all but disappeared from our machines today and i wonder why, as i've heard it works pretty well

    • @JB-vd8bi
      @JB-vd8bi Рік тому +3

      I thought it's less favourable to lock stitches as it unravels easier.

    • @raraavis7782
      @raraavis7782 Рік тому +1

      I have a Singer 401g from the early 1960s - which can actually do both. Very cool and unusual machine. Not very pretty, though!
      It must have been one of the last machines with that feature for the domestic market.
      If a chainstitch breaks, though, the whole seam will just unravel. You do not want that for structural seams on your garments! It's great for basting, though

    • @leechowning2712
      @leechowning2712 9 місяців тому

      We still use chainstitch machines for agriculture... if you buy a large bag of animal feed and pull a single thread to open it it was a chainstitch machine.

  • @cutehollygolightly
    @cutehollygolightly Рік тому +4

    And this is why I love You Tube. And I love teachers like you. Thank you for this video, Abby!!!

  • @YuraGhim
    @YuraGhim Рік тому

    This was so good!!! Loved all the reenactment ❤❤❤

  • @KitOfTheWeirdWoods
    @KitOfTheWeirdWoods Рік тому +1

    I just love the papers for printing Howe and Singer so close to each other

  • @user-hn1ln9vv3z
    @user-hn1ln9vv3z Рік тому +5

    Your representation of the French mind set is heartwarmingly hilarious - loved it - like the rest of your video - wonderfully done and informative - greetings from Germany!

  • @meredithcarr5116
    @meredithcarr5116 Рік тому +4

    omg a rogue abby cox video!!

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +3

      Thursdays are my new upload days 😂

    • @meredithcarr5116
      @meredithcarr5116 Рік тому

      @@AbbyCox What a nice surprise! ❤

  • @amishgirl1000
    @amishgirl1000 Рік тому

    Cool history information!!!
    Thanks Abbey

  • @VioletFem
    @VioletFem Рік тому

    This was a great video, Abby! I love your video essays

  • @annacatherinesendgikoski1965
    @annacatherinesendgikoski1965 Рік тому +4

    👀👀👀 Abbys neighbors...

    • @AbbyCox
      @AbbyCox  Рік тому +12

      One of my distant neighbors was walking his dog right after I beat the toy sewing machine to bits, and I think he wanted to come down and chat and I had to be like "haha ok byeeee!!!!" so that way I didn't have to explain 1. the outfit 2. the 'stache 3. the chunks of plastic everywhere. 4. the cameras. 🤣🤣 (all of my close neighbors know what I do, and they're very supportive and lovely people so they don't really care if I'm getting weird in my yard lolololol)

    • @annacatherinesendgikoski1965
      @annacatherinesendgikoski1965 Рік тому +1

      @@AbbyCox That's awesome!!

  • @wendyreynolds2261
    @wendyreynolds2261 Рік тому

    This was so much fun! And really informative!

  • @Babebb925
    @Babebb925 Рік тому

    You did such great work on this video. It was so entertaining to watch. I loved the use of props and costumes!

  • @MollyPatricia5
    @MollyPatricia5 Рік тому

    Thank you for this masterpiece Abby!

  • @Lelelaaf
    @Lelelaaf Рік тому

    This is AMAZING!!! One of my favourite videos from you yet!!!

  • @nellikorpi7937
    @nellikorpi7937 Рік тому

    Love! this format! ❤

  • @maytabangin5349
    @maytabangin5349 Рік тому

    thank you for putting your sources in the description! not a lot of youtubers do that

  • @Sabatuar
    @Sabatuar Рік тому +2

    Welp, adding the whole sewing machine debacle in there with the Bone Wars for weird 19th century American drama.

  • @beaglemusic
    @beaglemusic Рік тому +1

    I can vouch for Native. I'm on medical leave due to cancer, and with all the things needed to beat this, I like natural stuff and LOVE their products. LOVE your videos, too. I own my mother's Singer Featherweight (circa mid to late 40s) and want to learn how to use it.

  • @gammyeme
    @gammyeme Рік тому

    Nothing like bringing history alive! This was great. Thanks, Abby!

  • @ashesoffashion7312
    @ashesoffashion7312 Рік тому

    This was everything I needed! Nerdy, entertaining and passionate. Thank you!

  • @geniereiman1089
    @geniereiman1089 Рік тому

    Loved this video. I learned so much. Thank you!