A Bit of History Sewing is basically the craft of fastening or
sewn objects, but hand sewing is still
attaching objects using stitches made with
practiced around the world. Fine hand
a needle and thread. It is one of the oldest
sewing is characteristic of high-quality
of the textile arts, and before the discovery
tailoring, couture fashion, and custom
of spinning yarn or weaving fabric,
dressmaking, and is pursued by both
archaeologists believe Stone Age people
textile artists and hobbyists as a means
across Europe and Asia sewed fur and skin
of creative expression.
clothing using bone, antler or ivory needles and “thread” made of various animal
Although usually associated with clothing
body parts including the animals veins.
and household linens, sewing is used in a variety of crafts and industries, including shoemaking, upholstery, sail making and bookbinding. Sewing is the fundamental process underlying a variety of textile arts and crafts, including embroidery, tapestry, quilting, appliqué and patchwork. Therefore, it is an excellent starting point for a budding seamstress. I am going to be mainly focusing on
For thousands of years, all sewing was
hand sewing throughout this chapter. As
done by hand. The invention of the
it is quite surprising how many things
sewing machine in the 19th century
you can sew very easily without using a
and the rise of technology in the later
machine.
20th century led to mass-production of
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