<P> A sewing machine is a machine used to stitch fabric and other materials together with thread . Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies . Since the invention of the first working sewing machine, generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790, the sewing machine has greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of the clothing industry . </P> <P> Home sewing machines are designed for one person to sew individual items while using a single stitch type . In a modern sewing machine the fabric easily glides in and out of the machine without the inconvenience of needles and thimbles and other such tools used in hand sewing, automating the process of stitching and saving time . </P>

When was the very first sewing machine invented