Sewing

Sewing, use of a needle and thread to attach, repair, fasten, or decorate fabric or other materials. Sewing dates from the second Stone Age period, when stone or bone needles and hair or animal ligament thread were used to stitch pieces of skin together. Sewing now may be accomplished by hand or machine. The most basic hand-sewing stitches are basting, running, slip-stitch, blindstitch, overcast, and catch stitch. Isaac Merritt Singer, improving on earlier inventions, produced the first sewing machine practical for home use (1851). Singer's machine used a top thread with a bobbin thread, allowing continuous stitching. Modern machines commonly provide 3 types of stitches: straight, zigzag, and embroidery. Mechanical sergers can sew, trim, and finish straight seams in a single operation.