The Pemberville Mental Culture Club held its first meeting of the season at the home of Rebecca Krukemyer on September 10th. Vice President Krukemyer called the meeting to order. Karen Creps moved to accept the April 2024 minutes as presented. Second by Marti Zeek. Motion carried. Nedra Sheets reported a treasury balanceof $416. Members were reminded that annual dues are $30. Additional amounts for the scholarship fund are welcome.
Members were encourage to fill the few remaining program and hosting vacancies.
The club has given a book, The Complete Book of Floral Design, to the Pemberville Library in memory of Jane Kohlenberg, former member, who passed away this year.
After the business, Chris Budke presented a program about the invention of the sewing machine. Although Elias Howe, a Massachusettes farmer patented a sewing machine in1864, he was not the first. One of the earliest known sewing machine inventors was Charles Weisenthal, a German, who pantented his machine in England. The description and specific use of the machine were unknown.
Balthasar Krems, in the Rhineland, invented a machine to sew caps for the French troops who occupied his area from 1794-1815. His pedal operated machine sewed a continuous chain stitch.
Many early inventors tried to copy the movements of the human hand with limited success. However, the chain stitch machines, which are actually more like a line of crochet, seemed to have some success. Barthelemy Thimonnier made a chain stitch machine which was sold under contract to produce uniforms for the French army. However, tailors would attack and eventually destroy his shop, forcing him to flee to England where he never regained success.
Elias Howe’s 1846 lock stitch machine would sew but he could not find a manufacturer in America. He traveled to England but still found no success. Returning to America, he found several manufactures producing his machine – with improvements. Howe made a fortune suing these people and charging large license fees.
Isaac Singer was a master of marketing. His 1851 machine was reliable, came with a guarantee, and could be paid off on the installment plan.
Three things that were essential to the early lock stitch machines reliability were Howe’s shuttle, Allen Wilson’s “four-motion-feed”(which is still used today), and Singer’s treadle which left both hands free for guiding.
Just as with many machines, it took many people to invent the sewing machine that we have today. It is a machine quickly accepted worldwide. And no wonder! A skilled seamstress could produce a dress shirt in 14 hours, sewing entirely by hand. She could make the same shirt in 1 hour 15 minutes with a sewing machine.
Following the program, savory refreshments and cider were served on the patio by hostess Rebecca Krukemyer.
