Second Generation Treadle Sewing Machine

The history of hand-cranked sewing machines continued until 1859 when the Singer Company pioneered the invention of the treadle sewing machine, marking the exit of hand-cranked machines from the historical stage. It was the same Singer Company that, in 1889, invented the electric motor after Thomas Edison's invention, paving the way for a new era in the sewing machine industry with motor-driven sewing machines. For a considerable time, the Singer Company essentially monopolized the production of sewing machines worldwide.

After the sewing machine industry shifted from Europe and the United States to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and then fully to China starting in the early 1990s, competition in the sewing machine manufacturing industry intensified. Large-scale sewing machine manufacturing enterprises are increasingly engaged in mergers, acquisitions, and capital operations. Domestic, outstanding sewing machine manufacturing companies began to place greater emphasis on researching the industry market, especially studying the industry's development environment and product purchasers. Consequently, a large number of domestic, excellent sewing machine machinery brands quickly emerged and gradually became leaders in the sewing machine manufacturing industry.

●In 1905, Shanghai began manufacturing sewing machine components and established some small workshops for component production.

●In 1928, Shanghai produced the first 44-13 type industrial sewing machine at the Xiachang Sewing Machine Factory. In the same year, Shanghai Shengmei Sewing Machine Factory also produced the first domestic sewing machine.

●In the 1970s, the "Gongnong" and "Qianjin" brands of sewing machines were popular in China, and the "Gongnong" brand remains the most reputable "Made in China" brand to this day.

●In the 1980s, there was also the "Mifeng" brand of sewing machines produced by Shanghai manufacturers.

Overall, the second-generation treadle sewing machine was an improvement over the first generation, with a basic design featuring a wooden table supporting the sewing apparatus. It was operated by a foot pedal to drive a pulley, which in turn operated gears, making it faster than the first-generation hand-cranked machines. This type of sewing machine gained popularity in China in the 1940s and 1950s, as the working class had the means to purchase them.

●Second Generation Treadle Sewing Machine

[Time Period] Mid-19th century to the end of the 20th century

[Principle] Sewing machine stitching principle: Loop stitching

[Collection] Currently housed in the Grand Canal Hanlin Folk Museum

The sewing machine base is available in two forms: the table-style base, with the table serving as support for the sewing head during sewing operations, and the cabinet-style base, with the cabinet providing support and storage for the sewing head, making the sewing machine easy to transport and store.

●Sewing machine stitching principle:

The simplest form of loop stitching is chain stitching, where the sewing machine creates loops of thread behind the fabric, which is held in place by a presser foot on a metal plate. Each time sewing begins, the needle passes through the fabric, pulling a loop of thread through it. A loop-making device grabs the loop before the needle is fully pulled out, moving in sync with the needle. Once the needle is out of the fabric, the feed dog (to be described later) pulls the fabric forward. When the needle passes through the fabric again, the new loop will pass directly through the middle of the previous loop. The loop-making device grabs the thread again, creating a loop around the next loop, securing each loop in place.