Florence Mary Powell
bought this sewing machine
at Allders in Croydon
in about 1900.

The sewing machine
came with a wooden case
to cover it
when it wasn't being used.

To sew pieces of material together
Florence turned the handle on the right,
this made the needle go up and down.

Dorothy Farr of Thornton Heath describes
making and mending clothes as a child:

"Mother did have a sewing machine
But that was mainly used
for things like turning sheets
side into the middle,
or making pillow cases.
All our clothes were hand knitted
or hand sewn.
Dress materials were horrible
because the dye was not very fast
and washing powder was very,
very harsh.

By the time you'd washed it
two or three times
you'd only got a piece of rag
in front of you,
and you had to go on wearing it
until it was worn out."

By 1900
when Florence bought this machine
it was common for a family
to own one.

In 1861 Isabella Beeton
published Mrs Beeton's Book
of Household Management.
She encouraged every woman
to buy a sewing machine.
It was faster and easier
to use a machine to sew large garments
than it was to sew them by hand.

In 1905,
the electrical sewing machine
was invented
which speeded up the process.
Clothes made in factories
were cheaper than those made by tailors.

www.gizmohighway.com/history/sewing_machine.htm

www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2001_32_thu_04.shtml