The Surprising Genius of Sewing Machines

Sewing machines are mechanical marvels – here’s how they work. Get your first month of KiwiCo FREE at If you’re looking for a molecular modeling kit, head to to try Snatoms – a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically. ▀▀▀ A huge thanks to Prof. Andy Ruina for suggesting this video topic, guiding us in the research, and giving deeply insightful notes. Massive thanks to Noah Johnson and Tina Vines for teaching Derek how to chain-stitch, and letting us shoot with your embroidery machine! Please check out and if you’re interested in seeing more of their gorgeous chain stitch embroidery. Thanks to Denny Stanley and the whole crew at Las Vegas Props for building the large replica model of the sewing machine. ▀▀▀ References: Parton, J. (1870). History of the Sewing-machine. Howe Machine Company, No. 38, N. Charles St.. -- Gregory, J. M. (2006). A History of the Sewing Machine to 1880. Transactions of the Newcomen Society, 76(1), 127-144. -- How America Spends Money: 100 Years In the Life of the Family Budget, The Atlantic -- Buckman, J. (2016). Unraveling the Threads: The Life, Death and Resurrection of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, America’s First Multi-National Corporation. Dog Ear Publishing. Lewton, F. L. (1930). The servant in the house: a brief history of the sewing machine (Vol. 3056). US Government Printing Office. -- ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Adam Foreman, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bernard McGee, Bill Linder, Burt Humburg, Chris Harper, Dave Kircher, Diffbot, Evgeny Skvortsov, Gnare, John H. Austin, Jr., john kiehl, Josh Hibschman, Juan Benet, KeyWestr, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Max Paladino, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Orlando Bassotto, Paul Peijzel, Richard Sundvall, Sam Lutfi, Stephen Wilcox, Tj Steyn, TTST, Ubiquity Ventures ▀▀▀ Directed by Petr Lebedev Written by Petr Lebedev, Derek Muller, Felicity Nelson Edited by Trenton Oliver Animated by Mike Radjabov, Fabio Albertelli and Jakub Misiek Filmed by Derek Muller, Raquel Nuno, Gene Nagata and Taylor Cody Additional Research by Gregor Čavlović Produced by Petr Lebedev, Han Evans, and Derek Muller Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Storyblocks Music from Epidemic Sound