Elias Howe invented the first practical sewing machine and received U.S. patent 4,750.
Howe’s 1846 machine used two threads, a curved needle with an eye near its point, and a shuttle to form a lockstitch. The design mechanized a strong, useful seam rather than merely imitating hand stitching. A demonstration showed it could sew several times faster than a skilled hand sewer.
Howe struggled to market the invention in the United States and sold British rights to manufacturer William Thomas. When he returned, Isaac Singer and other manufacturers were selling machines that used features covered by Howe’s patent. Howe eventually won a long legal fight and received royalties.
He is not credited with inventing every early sewing machine concept. Walter Hunt and Barthélemy Thimonnier developed earlier machines or prototypes, but Howe’s patented lockstitch design became foundational to the modern sewing-machine industry.