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Look out for Crazy Parisian Tailors

skyrocker1 | Posted in General Discussion on

While cleaning out some paper files, I came across a paper that had written long ago in my college days. Being a Theatre Major, costuming was required. Since I was shop foreman, Master Carpenter of making sets on a huge scale, when it came my turn to take the basic course in Costuming, they instructor felt that I was inclined to be more comfortable talking about machines and since I was the only male in this class. That was a rarity usually there were five or six guys in the class. My assignment was the undaunting task of researching the history of the sewing machine. Ug, I thought. Well it was my final paper and I dug in ernest finding very little information in the vast University Library. Today one can spin around with a search engine and find anything on the network. My task was to pour through countless books to generate a useful and graded piece of work.
A high light of my paper indicates that a Frenchman of the name Barthelemy Thimonnier in 1830 was granted a patent by the French Government. He used a barbed needle for his machine and it was made entirely of wood. He orginally designed the machine to do embroidery
work but made a decision that its use as a sewing machine better suited his invention. Other inventors had approached the French Government to convince them they could produce military uniforms in batch quantities. He was given a contract. After ten years after using machines to produce Military uniforms, he began running a factory with 80 machines. Thats when Barthelemy ran into trouble with the Parisian Tailors. They feared this new invention was going to run them out of business. Late one night the Parasian Tailors stormed the factory, destroying every machine and Thimonnier had to flee for his life. He tried once more with a new partner to start up business, but again the factory was burned to the ground and he fled to England with one of his machines. But that’s another story. PLEASE GUARD YOUR MACHINES FROM CRAZY PARIASIANS. By he way did any ever hear of Napoleon and where he got his army uniforms…Doc

Replies

  1. donnabeltz | | #1

    Parisian Tailors and arson?  This is almost too funny to be true!

    1. skyrocker1 | | #2

      It's the truth Donna. Real history that happened. Just think if that sewing machine had not been used by the French Government, Napoleon's men would not have enough uniforms and never would have made it to Russia.

      They would have stayed in France in their Undies!! Doc

      1. Tish | | #3

        Doc, is there a typo in your original story?  Napoleon burned Moscow in 1812.  Waterloo was in 1815.  I don't think that wooden sewing machines designed in 1830 could have been much use to Napoleon.

        1. skyrocker1 | | #4

          Yes Tish My mistake. Doc

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