# data[].attributes.body
Sewing has its origins 20,000 years ago. Needles were created from bone, wood, and plant products and used to stitch together fur, hides, and other clothes. Iron needles were first created in Germany, at about third century BCE.

# data[].attributes.body
Needles were also found in China that dates to 202 BC-AD, along with thimbles. They are currently the oldest known thimbles. Thimbles were made of a variety of substances - including bone, leather, and glass - but the metal thimble became more prominent. Before the 18th century, the holes in the thimbles were created by hand.

# data[].attributes.body
Threads were made with larger plant and animal materials until it was discovered that fibers from plants and animals could be spun together to create a stronger thread. Ancient Egyptians used plants and animals to create thread, then dyed the thread with berries. In China and Japan, the silk worm was used to create thread.

# data[].attributes.body
Sewing was done by hand up until the 1790's, when the first patient for "emulated hand sewing" was created.

# data[].attributes.body
This first patient was invented by Thomas Saint. He eventually lost the patient, largely due to its large name: "An Entire New Method of Making and Completing Shoes, Boots, Spatterdashes, Clogs, and Other Articles, by Means of Tools and Machines also Invented by Me for that Purpose, and of Certain Compositions of the Nature of Japan or Varnish, which will be very advantageous in many useful Appliances." It was unknown whether or not he actually built the machine.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1814, Josef Madersperger invented the first practical sewing machine that worked, and actually created it that time. He intended for the machine to sew straight lines and some simple embroidery, but he was such a perfectionist that he never released it to the public and died a poor man.

# data[].attributes.body
The first sewing machine patient that was mechanical was created by Barthelemy Thimonnier in 1830. It was seen as scandalous and the inventor nearly died when French rioters set fire to his store.

# data[].attributes.body
Elias Howe created the next and earned his patient at 1846. He made some bad decisions in his business practices so his machine never became popular. However, his wife was ill, so he had to return to the Americas to tend to her until she died. When he returned, he found out that multiple people plagiarized his machine and he didn't receive any money that could have saved his wife's life.

# data[].attributes.body
Howe flew into a rage and demanded for his money. Most of the plagiarizers handed over the money, but some fought him in court. He won every time. After his last case, an inventor by the name of Isaac Singer approached Howe and offered him a place in a patient pool. It was agreed that Howe would receive 5 dollars for every machine sold from each factory, leaving him a millionaire.

# data[].attributes.body
Singer invented the first machine that the public actually enjoyed in the 1850's, along the side of Howe and other patient holders. He was an incredibly prolific businessman, and his machines are what people think of when they think of a sewing machine today.