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[Door opens, footsteps]

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[Creak!] [THUD!]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]
[vaccum cleaner noise]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]
[TV static noise]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]
[Steam hisses]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]
[sewing machine rattles]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]
[*Whoop!*]

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[Jazzy music: 'The Russians Are Coming' - Val Bennett]

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Tim: The sewing machine was really the first machine of any sort to enter the home.

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When it first appeared in the 1850s, it was regarded as the miracle of its age.

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To the people of the time, it must have seemed almost inconceivable

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that a machine could do such a fiddly and complicated action as sewing.

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That I find quite difficult enough with both hands, and a lot of concentration.

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Personally I still find sewing machines quite magical.

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How effortlessly they work, producing such perfect stitches

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and without hardly ever tangling up.

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To make a machine that directly imitated hand sewing would be very difficult.

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The real secret of machine sewing has been to find a completely different sort of stitch

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that's more suitable.

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The first clues came from a sort of embroidery decoration

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popular in the 18th century.

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This used a hooked needle, and formed a so-called chain stitch.

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The needle never needs to go right through the fabric

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so it can be firmly fixed to part of a machine at the top

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The first attempts at mechanical sewing imitated this embroidery stitch.

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The first patent was granted to Thomas Saint,

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an English cabinet maker, in 1790.

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When a model was made from his drawings 100 years later

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it had to be extensively modified before it would work.

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So it's doubtful whether Saint ever actually built one.

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[sawing]

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The first person to build a sewing machine and put it to any practical use

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was a French tailor called Thimonnier.

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[hammering]
Thimonnier: Ahh!  Oh my thumb! Oh!

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[planing]

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Qu'est-ce que c'est?

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After years of failure, he finally patented a machine in 1830.

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[machinery noise]
By 1841 he had 80 machines stitching clothing in a Paris factory.

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[machinery noise]
Bonjour, Bonjour...

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Tailors: Oharrgh...

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An angry crowd of tailors, fearing that the invention would rob them of their livelihood

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then broke into the factory and destroyed the machines.

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[muffled shouting] [smashing machinery]

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Thimonnier  was ruined, and eventually died pennyless.

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This is a model of Thimonnier's machine, in the Science Museum.

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Which exactly imitates the hand embrodery stitch.

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We're having some trouble in, er, making it stitch

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but, er, we had a go and made it do a few stitches...

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[Bang....Bang....Bang...]

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(It's working perfectly!)
[Bang...]

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Ahh...  
Rex: (Okay, that's better)

53
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We haven't managed to make it stitch very neatly

54
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But even if the machine was properly set up,

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chain stitch still has the disadvantage that it's very easily pulled apart.

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Unknown to Thimonnier , other inventors were experimenting with a different sort of stitch,

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lock stitch, using two seperate reels of cotton.

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The machines were more complicated, but the stitches they produced were neater.

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And, er, they didn't pull apart so easily.

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The secret of these machines was really the brilliant shape of the needle itself.

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We've made a giant one here

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and you can see the eye is in the pointed end of the needle

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and it has a groove all the way up one side

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that the thread can slip through.

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Well, with the real needle, if I push it through a bit of, er, cotton

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and pull it out again,

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it automatically leaves a loop underneath.

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And all the machine needs to form a stitch

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is to pass the second reel of cotton through the loop.

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The first lock-stitch machine was built in America by an inventor called Walter Hunt in about 1833.

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It didn't work very well, so he lost interest, and didn't even bother to patent it.

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Elias Howe patented an improved machine in 1845

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and despite an initial lack of interest

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this then acted as a catalyst to other American inventors

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and within 10 years, all the major elements of a modern sewing machine had been introduced.

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I'm going to try and demonstrate these with this human sewing machine

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stitching together two sheets of expanded polystyrene
[hideous polystyrene squeaking noises]

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The needle goes through the material...

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...the bottom bobbin is pushed through the loop...

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...the needle comes out and the stitch is pulled tight...
[squeaking]

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...and the material is pulled forward.
[squeaking]

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[SQUEAKING!]

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Every lock-stitch machine has these four movements.
[squeaking]

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Pushing through the needle, passing the loop round the bobbin

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pulling the stitch tight, and moving the material forward.

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The movements are all connected to the motor by a series of ingenious mechanical linkages.

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First, the linkage to the needle itself.

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This is often just a crank; the simplest way to get an up-and-down motion from a rotation.

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Next the device that pulls the stitch tight.

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This is basically an arm that flies up at the right moment

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just as Ellie's was doing.

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But Ellie also had to grip the thread with her other hand

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to stop the thread being pulled from the reel instead of through the stitch.

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So on a sewing machine, there's a sort of friction pully between the cotton reel and the arm.

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It's getting the thread to pass cleanly through these two things before the needle

96
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that always makes threading up a machine so elaborate.

97
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The action of the arm itself is surprisingly simple

98
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...just two levers fixed to the needle mechanism.

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[click]

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It's wonderful what a vast range of movements can be derived from simple cranks and levers.

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These are some collecting boxes I made for the Science Museum.

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They're actually portraits of people who work here.

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The Idea was to show exactly what a donation would fund

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so a pound makes them work for 10 times as long as 10p.

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[coin rattles through mechanism]

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This is the curator.  He takes the pipe out of his mouth and scratches his head.

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If you look inside, you can see the arm is a simple crank,

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connected to a geared motor.

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[electric motor whine]

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Back to the sewing machine...

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The next action is passing the thread loop rouind the bobbin.

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This is what Ian was doing in the human sewing machine.

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To me this is the most magical part,

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how it manages to do it without tangling up.

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On a real machine, instead of passing the bobbin through the loop,

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the bobbin stays still, and a sort of rotating hook

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pulls the loop so it's large enough to pass right over the bobbin.

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With the bobbin back in place, all you can actually see is the red thread slipping round the outside.

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The last movement, pulling the cloth forward for the next

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stitch, is technically called a four-motion feed

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because the loose metal bit moves forward, backward, down and up again.

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It does this with these two off-centre rings on the driveshaft.

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The one on the right pulls the claw backwards and forwards,

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the other one makes it go up and down.

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So both combined give the four motions.

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This completes the basic mechanism; all four movements connected

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to a single driveshaft.

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Maggie: This is actually a toy, made in Germany, about 1893

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it's called the Nuremberg Lady, or Nuremberg Princess.

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It's patented.

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The cotton goes in here, that's the bobbin...

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...comes through a tensioning system...

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...comes across here; the needle would have been held in her hand

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...see, her head nods.

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Although it is a toy, it has all the mechanical characteristics

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of an ordinary sewing machine.

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I've been collecting sewing machines for about 15 years.

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...and about 3 years ago, a few of us got together and decided to form a society

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to pass on information and share information, and find out what was going on.

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And it is now an international sewing machine collectors' society (ISMCS)

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And we have members all through the world: America, Australia, Hong Kong,

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all throughout Europe.  And I've just brought along one or two of my machines to show

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the different types that are available.  These, that comes from France, Germany - those are America

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This is Glasgow, and this is from Coventry; an English-made machine.

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And every one is slightly different, the way it developed.

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Well, a very unusual machine is this little one here...

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unlike the rest of the machines, this isn't painted or brightly coloured

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it's nickel-plated, looking a bit like a giant stapler.

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[loud mechanical clacking]
It's a very nice noise, a bit like a puffer train.

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Now there's absolutly no reason whatsoever why this machine should have hands

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no reason apart from being pretty

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why somebody should do it, I don't know.

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Was made in Coventry by a man called Stardy, and his trademark

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was Lady Godiva, on a horse.

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The Lion: the beast.

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00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,499
Ahh, was made by a Glasgow company called Kimble & Walton,

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about 1863ish.  As a sewing machine it's quite ordinary; just a shuttle mechanism

158
00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:48,099
it's just unusual because of its shape.

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[mechanical rattling]
Well this is a French machine.

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[machine jams]
It's called "La Populare".

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And it's certainly a popular machine among collectors.

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Although it's called... It works on an leverage(?) system, we always call it "the pusher"

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[mechanical clanking]

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And it is one of the very few to use this unusual push-start mechanism.

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00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:23,499
But we've seen all these very different looking; very complicated;

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very simple mechanism machines.

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But one of the simplest; one of the prettiest; one of the most popular

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and probably, in my opinion, one of the best...

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The Wilcox & Gibbs
[solid mechanical clicking]

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Tim: The early machines were all beautifully decorated.

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I think this was because the sewing machine was the first machine to enter the home.

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At the time, all other machines were industrial.

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00:13:01,899 --> 00:13:10,898
Lavish decoration was an attempt to make them look more domesticated.

174
00:13:15,799 --> 00:13:21,099
At first, the different manufacturers' machines had very distinct characteristics.

175
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But by the 20th century, they'd all started looking more and more alike.

176
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This was partly due to the commercial dominance of one particular manufacturer.

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[cat meows]

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Woman: Oh John, I'm so discouraged - how can I ask anybody to this house the way the furniture looks?

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00:13:48,100 --> 00:13:50,099
John: Well, it is pretty awful.

180
00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:52,298
But I don't suppose we could buy much with our money...

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00:13:52,299 --> 00:13:54,298
Woman: Not unless a miracle happened.

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[Doorbell]
Voiceover: Ah, there's the miracle!  Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! - Answer that doorbell!

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That's the first time I ever saw a miracle in a two-pant(?) suit

184
00:14:02,899 --> 00:14:06,898
But it's the Singer man!  Hell send her to the nearest Singer sewing centre

185
00:14:06,899 --> 00:14:09,699
and the miracle man turns her over to that miracle woman

186
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- the sewing teacher to you.  Just a few simple lessons on the sewing machine

187
00:14:13,500 --> 00:14:18,099
and her house will be so attractive they'll probably sell it at a profit.

188
00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:21,699
Now take a look at the finished room, with the rest of the girls she's invited over.

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00:14:21,700 --> 00:14:26,599
Woman2: You don't mean to tell me you made these curtains and seat covers yourself?

190
00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,599
Martha: How did you ever make them so perfectly?

191
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,999
It's a grand colourscheme, they must have cost a pretty penny!

192
00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,298
Woman: Only 18 dollars and 31 cents!

193
00:14:35,299 --> 00:14:39,999
Martha: What? Say, I wish I could sew like that...

194
00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,199
Woman: But you can Martha!
Martha: What's that?

195
00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,499
Woman: The address of the nearest Singer sewing centre, get it?

196
00:14:45,500 --> 00:14:47,889
Woman2: Oh!

197
00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:52,599
Tim: The company was founded by a man called Isaac Merritt Singer.

198
00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:57,398
[spanner clanks on boiler]

199
00:14:57,399 --> 00:15:01,099
Although Singer was trained as a mechanic, his real love was the theatre.

200
00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:08,599
Homer: Julie, I've always loved ya, honey... can you ever forgive me?
Julie: But this is so sudden! Oh Homer...

201
00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:14,298
Tim: In 1839, he managed to sell a design for a mechanical excavator for $2000
[Indistinct: Singer explaining design]

202
00:15:14,299 --> 00:15:18,699
Singer: ...connects to the bucket. It's beautiful!
Man: Okay I'll buy it.

203
00:15:18,700 --> 00:15:22,798
Tim: With the money, he set up his own theatre company, called the Merritt Players.

204
00:15:22,799 --> 00:15:28,199
[rustling notes]
Singer: I'm rich! I'm rich! Now I can start my theatre company!

205
00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,599
Man: Stick em up!
Julie: *gasps* No!

206
00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:36,199
[indistinct shouting]
Homer: See honey, I told ya I'd save ya!

207
00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:38,898
Homer: Oooh, Julie!
Julie: My hero!

208
00:15:38,899 --> 00:15:41,668
[sparse clapping]

209
00:15:41,669 --> 00:15:45,398
Tim: Singer's theatre company went bankrupt after a few years.

210
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[bangs foot on machine]
Tim: Then, in 1851, he came across an early, unreliable sewing machine.

211
00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,199
Singer: I could do better than this!

212
00:15:54,200 --> 00:16:01,798
[sawing, hammering, power tools, muffled swearing]

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00:16:01,799 --> 00:16:07,298
Singer: Yeah! (indistinct)
Tim: He built his prototype in only 11 days, and then went into production.

214
00:16:07,299 --> 00:16:11,798
Singer's machine wasn't particularly original, but he was brilliant at selling it.

215
00:16:11,799 --> 00:16:15,698
Singer: Okay ladies and gentlemen, this machine sewing before your very eyes!

216
00:16:15,699 --> 00:16:22,399
Woman: Here are your trousers Isaac.
[massive applause and cheering]

217
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:24,399
[Trousers drop: *Voop!*]

218
00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,399
Singer: Proves they're gonna work... Yup.

219
00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:33,099
Tim: In partnership with a sober lawyer called Clark, he started the first ever hire-purchase scheme.

220
00:16:33,100 --> 00:16:42,599
By 1867, Singer was a very rich man, with a total of 18 children from a variety of wives and mistresses.
[*woomph* of flash powder]

221
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Because the machines were being sold to respectable homes, Clark then persuaded Singer to leave the country.

222
00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:53,599
Clark: It's a one-way ticket.  Yer gotta leave town...
Singer: Oh?

223
00:16:53,600 --> 00:17:00,699
Tim: Singer eventually settled in Torquay, where he died in 1875, leaving a total of 24 children.

224
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[woman sobs]

225
00:17:02,700 --> 00:17:05,899
[funeral bell]

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Tim: From the earliest days of the sewing machine, attempts were made to find a better way of powering it than just turning a handle.

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In America, the treadle caught on immediately, because it was a great advantage to have both hands free to control the cloth.

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But in Britain, it was regarded with great suspicion for many years.

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It was generally thought to be unladylike, and rather harmful for the ankles.

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[machine rattles]

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Attempts were made to power the machines by waterwheels, giant clockwork motors and steam

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but all were inconvenient.

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The first electric machines appeared in the 1920s

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At first the motor was a seperate lump, bolted on.

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Only very gradually did it become integrated in the body of the machine.

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The motor itself is connected by a drive belt

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this belt used to be rubber, or leather.

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But on modern machines, there's a synthetic, toothed belt

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which has the big advantage that it doesn't slip.

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Thye've now replaced belts, gears and chains on many machines, like photocopiers.

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They're quieter, easier to set up, and don't need oiling.

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Rex: A couple of years ago, I made this trick suitcase for a conjurer/clown, for a stage show

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It does several tricks, 8 in all, but the relevant ones today are that it can walk offstage entriely at its own accord

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...whereupon it can stop, and then it can fall over.

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The drive mechanism is worked entirely on toothed belts

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...I use em quite a bit.  Two of the toothed belts act as caterpillar tracks

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and the third one is the drive.  I'll show you it working...
[motor whirrs]

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[sewing machine clicks]

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There are limitations to the movements you can get out of simple cranks and levers

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so a lot of sewing machines also use cams.

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This machine's actually a cobblers' machine, used for sewing leather.

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The cams can create a much wider range of movements

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using irregularly shaped slots and discs like this one.

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[mechanism clicks]

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Just like craks and levers, these have all sorts of uses, and I quite often use them myself.

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[mechanism clicks]  [horse neighs]
Man: Woah!

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Tim: this is the warden in the Science Museum.

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I made the warden with a simple crank at first, but then he just move his head..... evenly from side to side.

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It didn't look at all realistic, it looked entirely mechanical.

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then I swapped it for a cam, and that gave it a sort of jerky motion, and he actually looked as if he was looking around.

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And looking down at his watch was the same.

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Instead of a continuous down and up movement, it needed to be: down, pause and up.

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So I used another cam.

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This is a doctor I made, who writes out illegible prescriptions.

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Cams can be used for really complicated movements.

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[mechanism clicks rapidly]

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Most modern sewing machines can do a wide variety of fancy stitches.

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They look a lot more complicated, but there's only one basic extra movement

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and that's moving the needle from side to side.

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And by combining sideways needle movements with variable cloth-feed movements

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all sorts of fancy stitches become possible.

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Each stitch has a different cam.

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If I change to a different stitch, the cam-follower moves, and you can see it moving to a different rhythm.

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[sewing machine noises]

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This is one of the latest electronic machines.

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The idea behind it is really quite simple: instead of using cams to vary the needle and the cloth movements

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it uses these devices, called stepper motors.

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Each pulse of electricity I send it, makes it go round one step.

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[motor steps]

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And I can use it to move a lever in just the same way as a cam.

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I'll try and imitate it over here, err...

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[Stepper motor clicks] [Cam motor buzzes]

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By programming a microprocessor to produce a rapid sequence of pulses

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to control the stepper motor, the movements of the needle can be very accurately controlled.

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I think you can see the stepper motor moving the needle in, er, this machine.

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The stepper motor is fixed to a cog, which moves the needle in small steps.

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[click-click-click]

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This machine is a Pfaff.  Today Singer has lost its market dominance

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and German and Swiss manufactureres now produce the most advanced machines.

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But I'm not convinced that all the electronics is really a good idea in the sewing machine.

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However good the design, there's still an awful lot more to go wrong than in a basic machine.

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And I'm not sure that all the fancy stitches are really worthwhile

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- the service engineers that I've talked to say that a lot of people never use them.

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With the old mechanical machines that used to last anything up to 100 years

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the lack of obsolecence was quite a problem for the manufacturers.

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Singer used to have a policy of breaking up any machines take in part-exchange

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to reduce the supply of second-hand ones.

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I suspect that all the complexity of the fancy stitches has added quite a convenient

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degree of obsolecence.

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But anyway, the golden age of the domestic sewing machine has already passed.
[bell dings]

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Woman: Make a garment that's a perfect fit, like the one you made for lady...

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Tim: When it first appeared, there were no clothes shops anywhere.

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Tim: You either made your own,
Woman: Oh! That tickles!

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Tim: or if rich enough, got a tailor to do it.

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Tailor: It will be a couple of weeks, maam.

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[sewing machine noise]
Tim: Even a generation ago, most families made some of their own clothes.

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Woman: *humming*  ...Oh, yes, It's a dream!

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Tim: But the sewing machine, as well as speeding up home sewing, also made the off-the-peg clothing industry economically successful.

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Woman: Oh, yah.  Oh yes.
Tim: Home dressmaking is today just a minority hobby

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and the home sewing machine has lost its central importance.

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Woman: Hmm, a bit tight.

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Tim: The old machines were built to last a lifetime.

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despite my doubts about the latest ones, they have to some extent carried on this tradition.

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And mechanically, they're still surprisingly well-made.

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I think that to make the machines fast, quiet and reliable

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they have to be quite heavy and rigid, and they also have to be very precisely made.

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And it's really these qualities that make them such wonderfully satisfying machines.

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[Jazzy music: 'Take 5' - Dave Brubeck]