It seems we've mastered every part of the car-building process. When our engines wore out, we bought a book and rebuilt them. When the body shop gave us our first estimate, we learned how to paint. We ...

Q I want to tell you about my Grandma’s sewing machine that I inherited. It’s a Singer in a cabinet that closes to look like a table. I have a more modern machine now, and I was thinking about taking ...

Sewing thread has gone through many changes over time, as a result of technological advances – including the invention of sewing machines, cotton mercerization and the introduction of synthetic fibers ...

1846: Elias Howe patents the first practical sewing machine and threads his way into the fabric of history. French tailor Barthelemy Thimonnier patented a device in 1830 that mechanized the typical ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...