<Li> <P> An 1880 machine from the Wheeler and Wilson Company </P> </Li> <P> An 1880 machine from the Wheeler and Wilson Company </P> <P> Elias Howe, born in Spencer, Massachusetts, created his sewing machine in 1845, using a similar method to Fisher's except that the fabric was held vertically . An important improvement on his machine was to have the needle running away from the point, starting from the eye . After a lengthy stay in England trying to attract interest in his machine, he returned to America to find various people infringing his patent, among them Isaac Merritt Singer . He eventually won a case for patent infringement in 1854, and was awarded the right to claim royalties from the manufacturers using ideas covered by his patent, including Singer . </P> <P> Singer had seen a rotary sewing machine being repaired in a Boston shop . As an engineer, he thought it was clumsy and decided to design a better one . The machine he devised used a falling shuttle instead of a rotary one; the needle was mounted vertically and included a presser foot to hold the cloth in place . It had a fixed arm to hold the needle and included a basic tension system . This machine combined elements of Thimonnier, Hunt and Howe's machines . Singer was granted an American patent in 1851, and it was suggested he patent the foot pedal or treadle, used to power some of his machines; unfortunately, the foot pedal had been in use too long for a patent to be issued . When Howe learned of Singer's machine he took him to court, where Howe won and Singer was forced to pay a lump sum for all machines already produced . Singer then took out a license under Howe's patent and paid him $1.15 per machine before entering into a joint partnership with a lawyer named Edward Clark . They created the first hire - purchase arrangement to allow people to buy their machines through payments over time . </P>

Who made a sewing machine that became a bestseller