© Getty Images/BrunoPress

The Paleolithic period -

Though some needles date back to nearly 25,000 years ago, according to archaeological records the first sewing needles with eyes date back to 17,500 BCE.

© Shutterstock

The Paleolithic period -

Needles were made of animal bones or antlers, and animal tendons or veins were used as thread to sew skins and furs.

© Shutterstock

4000 BCE -

It was not until around 4000 BCE that the weaving of cloth made with natural fibers started in the Middle East.

© Getty Images

202 BCE - 220 CE -

Chinese archaeologists made a fascinating discovery in the tomb of a government official from the Han dynasty. They found sewing needles, as well as the earliest known thimble.

© Shutterstock

1200 -

Despite buttons having been invented and used since the Bronze Age, by the year 1200 buttons became popular in Europe. This was a result of Europeans coming into contact with other cultures during the Crusades.

© Getty Images

1730 -

In 1730, cotton thread started to be spun by machinery in England. This naturally popularized the use of cotton thread not only in Britain, but also across the world.

© Getty Images

1730 -

That same year, Stephan Beissel founded a needle factory in Aachen, Germany.

© Getty Images

1755 -

Some 25 years later, a German immigrant living in London named Charles Fredrick Wiesenthal took out a patent for a mechanical sewing needle.

© Getty Images

1776 -

The year 1776 not only marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but it’s also the year Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag.

© Getty Images

1790 -

English inventor Thomas Saint patented the first ever sewing machine in 1790 (pictured). Well, at least he patented the design for it, as a real machine was never built. The plans, however, were the basis upon which the first sewing machine was built, bar a few modifications.

© Getty Images

1812 -

This was the year brass buttons began to be mass produced in America by the Waterbury Button Company. These were used in military uniforms, but also became popular amongst civilians.

© Getty Images

1812 -

This was also the year James and Patrick Clark of Clark and Co, based in Paisley, Scotland, started to mass produce cotton thread for sewing. It was particularly welcomed during a time when there were silk shortages due to the Napoleonic Wars.

© Getty Images

1830 -

In 1830, French inventor Barthélemy Thimonnier patented a sewing machine. Unlike the one patented by Thomas Saint, this one actually existed and worked.

© Getty Images

1830 -

The machine was mostly made of wood and created a chain stitch using a barbed needle. It was a huge success, and at one point there was a factory with 80 machines. This, of course, wasn’t good news for tailors.

© Getty Images

1831 -

It didn’t take long for tailors to take matters into their own hands, and on January 20, 1831, about 200 French tailors set fire to Thimonnier’s factory in protest.

© Getty Images

1834 -

In 1834, it was time for a new development. This is when American inventor Walter Hunt created the first lockstitch sewing machine, which, unlike Thimonnier’s machine, didn’t mimic the motion of the human hand. Walter Hunt, however, did not patent the machine.

© Public Domain

1844 -

A decade later, American inventor Elias Howe created the first modern lockstitch sewing machine.

© Getty Images

1851 -

August 12, 1851 was an important date in the history of sewing. This was when Isaac Merritt Singer (yes, that Singer) patented the first practical sewing machine. This, of course, was not free from legal disputes, but Singer’s machine eventually managed to make it to market.

© Getty Images

1874 -

Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna used to produce military hardware up until 1872. In 1874, they began producing sewing machines, most notably their famous Viking sewing machines.

© Getty Images

1880 -

The first electric sewing machine was invented in 1880. Philip Diehl (who worked for Singer) was the man responsible for the invention and implementation of an electric motor in sewing machines.

© Getty Images

1889 -

Nearly a decade later, Singer made these machines with a built-in electric motor available to purchase by the general public for home use.

© Getty Images

1900 -

In 1900, German entrepreneur Heinrich Stoll created the flat bed purl knitting machine. This helped in the production of hosiery, which was in high demand at the time.

© Getty Images

1910 -

In 1910, there was yet another development: the invention of the circular bed purl knitting machine.

© Getty Images

1920s -1930s -

Electric sewing machines became portable in the 1920s, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that they became substantially lighter.

© Getty Images

1932 -

The high-performance universal zig-zag sewing machine PFAFF 130 was released in Germany in 1932. Though it didn’t make it across the pond until after World War II.

© Public Domain

1947 -

In 1947, Italian brand Necchi introduced zig-zag sewing machines for home use.

© Getty Images

1949 -

German textile inventor Heinrich Mauersberger created the Malimo machine in 1949. This stitch bonding machine is still used to this day.

© Getty Images

1950s -

By the '50s, several sewing machines had become available on the market. This included the lightweight Swiss zig-zag machine Elna.

© Getty Images

1978 -

In 1978, Singer created the world’s first computer-controlled sewing machine: the Touchtronic 2001 (model not pictured).

© Getty Images

2000s -

Sewing continues to be practiced and celebrated throughout daily life and pop culture. It has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows.

Sources: (Jones Sew & Vac) (InfoDepot) (Smithsonian Magazine)

See also: The most bizarre and dangerous fashion trends in history

© BrunoPress