Sewing Machine Day
This day honors the invention of the sewing machine. The sewing machine took the labor out of hand sewing. The first working sewing machine for shoemakers was conceived in 1790 by the Englishman Thomas Saint who filed a patent for his invention. Even though his patent was considered very progressive, his construction plans were never transformed into a sewing machine.
Only in 1874, William Newton Wilson reconstructed a sewing machine based on Saint’s plans for the London Science Museum. The first machine was made entirely from wood.
In Battambang sewing machines are of significant value as they can provide a potential source of income. The current class of tailors at the Safe House’s vocational training is already in their third year! This year, 18 girls are attending the vocational training to become tailors which takes one year to complete. Thanks to this vocational training a lot of girls have already found a job. Moreover, the Safe House has already paid for three tailors’ workshops, i.e. a sewing machine, mirror, fabric and haberdashery, to enable the girls to work autonomously in their home villages.
Right now, the Safe House owns 17 sewing machines for the vocational training and 5 sewing machines for the small production.
Pattern drawing has to be learned and practised. This skill is an integral part of the vocational training for a tailor and students also have to learn to work with precision.
