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Embroidery Machine History

Commercial embroidery machines refer to the use of a sewing or embroidery machines in creating textile patterns. As a commercial process, it is utilized in uniform adornment, corporate advertising and product branding. Some hobbyists use the device in crafting projects and personal sewing.

Most machine embroidered projects are stitched through a computerized embroidery machine run by an embroidery software that creates digitized patterns. They usually contain various types of fills that enhances the texture and design of the finished work. In machine embroidery, it is easy to mimic the old elaborate type of hand embroidery when adding monograms and logos on commercial jackets, shirts, and apparel or when decorating fabrics, draperies or household linens.

Historically speaking, embroidery originated from the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Babylonians and Hebrews, 3000 years ago. They use embroidery in adorning their robes, like the Moors who decorate much of their clothing with embroidery. However, the Moors have a more distinctive style which became popular in Spain and Sicily and later influenced many European nations.

Embroidery largely grew during the Middle Ages. Luxurious embroidered clothing costs a large sum of money to affluent merchants and traders. Notably, new applications for embroidery came in the Renaissance Period when bed covers, curtains, laces and tapestries were introduced. The first commercial embroidery plant operated in America in 1848. The plant was established in New York by a Swiss national named Jacob Schiess. That time, Schiess employed fifteen women who crafted exquisite stitching designs by hand.

It wasn’t until the 1800’s when machine embroidery came into the picture. Mulhouse native Joshua Heilmann sketched a model of a hand embroidery machine which brought the industry into its revolutionary stage. Only few machines were sold by Heilmann nevertheless, it quickly encouraged the invention of the shuttle embroidery and the chain stitch embroidery techniques. The shuttle embroidery was discovered in the 1860’s by another Swiss national, Isaac Groebli from St. Gallen. A finished product on the sewing machine inspired Groebli to develop the shuttle embroidery method.

Ten years later, there were already fourteen companies in Switzerland which supply hand loom embroidery machines anywhere in the world. In 1873, the first mechanized embroidery hand looms came to America when Alphonse Kursheedt bought twelve looms from St. Gallen. He was America’s pioneer in using the then new embroidery machines that contain multiple needles. Although the looms are operated manually at that time, they left a marvelous development over the ancient stitching process by hand.

After Groebli invented his first useable Schiffli embroidery machine, Kursheedt aso purchased a set of schiffli machines in 1876. The introduction of this practical machine in the United States labeled Kursheedt as the bona fide founder of the schiffli embroidery industry in the country.

Mass importation of embroidery machines was brought in the Hudson County, New Jersey after Dr. Robert Reiner was appointed as American Agent of Germany’s Vogtlandishe Machine Works of Plauen. His appointment enabled numerous Swiss, German and Austrian immigrants in New Jersey to start a career in embroidery machine manufacturing.

Commercial embroidery greatly flourished in 1938 but it was rather cut short by World War 2. This caused the closure of manufacturing sites in Arbon, Switzerland and Plauen, Germany, indeed, the production of additional machines ceased until 1953. Around that year, the Robert Reiner Inc., founded by Dr. Reiner, launched the first schiffli machine made in America. Gradually, developments came about to the machines in America, Germany and Switzerland including the creation of computerized embroidery machines. Nevertheless, those who can’t afford these innovative machines opted to punching embroidery designs on paper tape which were then fed in a stitching machine. The process is actually painstaking because one error can force the worker to re-do the damaged design.

In 1959, founder and Chairman of Barudan Co., Ltd., Yoshio Shibata made the first embroidery machine in Japan. The brand, as a remarkable contributor to the modern embroidery industry, was brought to Cleveland, Ohio in 1985, where Barudan America was founded.

The first computer graphics embroidery design system was introduced by Wilcom in 1980. It was operated by a minicomputer. Then, international distribution network Melco followed with the invention of the pioneering embroidery sample head intended for large Schiffli looms. The sample head, as the first automated embroidery machine sold to home sewers, helped embroiders to save production time spent for manually sewing design samples.

Formed by Randal Melton and Bill Childs, Melco became one of the top-earners in the home sewing industry during the Reagan years. At the Show of the Americas in 1980, the international network launched Digitrac, an innovative system for embroidery machines that uses a small computer in making common points on the embroidery design combining the fill and satin stitches.

Subsequently, Melco get a patent for the technology’s ability to stitch in circles with a satin technique and to create arched lettering generated from a computer keyboard. In 1982, Wilcom developed improvements for this technology by introducing the first multi-user system that allows several workers to perform the embroidery process. In Krefeld, Germany former employees of renowned company Zangs founded ZSK in 1984. This company is considered as one of the market leaders in textile engineering one hundred years later, having provided its customers machines that comply with individual requirements and rigid acceptance standards.

Several computerized embroidery companies contracted the service of the Brother Industries to create sewing heads. This deal paved a way for the company to join the embroidery industry. Shortly, Japan’s Tajima manufactured sewing heads with multiple thread capabilities. Singer was not able to keep up with the competition during this era while, Saurer acquired ownership over Melco in 1989.

In the long run, big commercial embroidery machine companies modified their systems and promoted them to Janome and other enterprises that manufacture machines for home use. When prices for embroidery machines, software and computers dropped in the late 1990s, it opened opportunities for computerized machine embroidery to grow and become even more popular. On top of that popularity, many individual and major machine manufacturers are selling their embroidery designs as well as lines of embroidery patterns. Nevertheless, free designs can be accessed through the Internet.

One of the most reliable embroidery machines introduced in late 1990s is SWF. This brand was imported by Scott Colman into the United States to fill in the gap between the reliable embroidery machines of Japan and Germany and the less pricey equipments of the China. Happy is also another successful brand in commercial embroidery machines. The company has been around since 1923, and continues to produce the best embroidery machines found in all types of businesses today from large manufacturing firms using many sewing heads to small business start-ups.

Toyota is also considered as one of the makers of durable sewing machines that offer some embroidery options. Since the 1940s, the company, which is mainly popular in manufacturing super reliable vehicles, has provided the world market with heavy duty models of sewing machines. Although some of its models are not the finest in embroidery and quilting, its sewing machines are capable of meeting many demands and making things simpler for home sewers.