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West Michigan woman possesses rare Free Press sewing machine

The Free Press is known for many things. High-quality journalism, of course, but over the years it's also become known for the Freep Film Festival, the Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon and Detroit Free Press Sports Awards, among other things.

A lesser-known fact is that in the newspaper’s early days, the Free Press was in the sewing machine business.

Duinn Shevock, 52, has owned a Detroit Free Press-branded sewing machine in her Cedar Springs home for nearly 20 years. The appliance was handed down to her from her grandmother, Waneta Wilkins, who received the machine from a church friend.

Shevock has been unable to find much information about the sewing machine online, but knows it was made in the 1800s by the now-defunct Union Manufacturing Co. in Toledo, Ohio.

Blast from the past 

Free Press archives show that the company apparently began selling sewing machines in 1885. At the time, The Singer Co. was the biggest sewing machine manufacturer worldwide. Even though the annual income for Americans was around $500, machines were selling for as high as $125, according to Time Magazine.

The main objective of the Free Press sales campaign was to promise readers affordable machines while still offering a high-quality product.

In an 1886 article titled, “Sewing Machines: Why They Cost So Much,” the Free Press breaks down the cost of an average sewing machine, pointing out expenses such as labor, rent, and covering the commissions for laborers and salespeople. The article states the cost of a machine after it is made at the factory is only $18. By the time the device is sent to the warehouse, a wholesale house and branch house, the cost has increased to $48. A profit for the salespeople is then added, which makes the total price for a machine $55 or $60.

The Free Press sold its sewing machines at one-third of that price, at $22. Instead of going through a lengthy process like other machines, the appliance goes straight to the reader after leaving the factory.

“To those who have been accustomed to think that a really good machine could not be bought for less than fifty or sixty dollars, such a proposition will undoubtedly be surprising, and may suggest the thought that the Free Press machine must be of an inferior make,” the article read. “This is not so; the Free Press machines is equal in style, finish and capacity to any in the market.”  

And, of course, the products were tied in to the newspaper; subscribers who purchased a machine received a copy of the weekly edition for a year.
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In addition to offering subscribers a discount, the sewing machines may have been a way for the Free Press to reach female readers. Joel Stone, senior curator for the Detroit Historical Society, said the newspaper was attempting to expand its female audience at the time by offering a larger home economics section and targeted advertising.

The Free Press continued to market its sewing machines in an ad featured in the March 13, 1887 edition. Reading, "The Free Press Sewing Machines! Warranted for Family Use," the advertisement displayed two types of device: the low-arm and high-arm sewing machine. Still offering affordability, subscribers were able to purchase them for only $18 and $22.

The low-arm machine is described as a "strong, light running, lock stitch machine, well made, handsomely finished and in every respect, equal to the best and superior to most of its competitors among $50 machines offered to the public."

The high-arm machines claimed to have features others did not have at the time, such as an automatic tension, where the needle does not require any adjustments, and a spring-tension cylinder shuttle that holds a bobbin with a large amount of thread. In addition, the machine had a double feed that extended on both sides of the needle and crossed seams without missing a stitch or changing its length.

The advertisement also featured comments from subscribers, from as far away as New York and North Carolina. 

Frank Higgins, the superintendent of Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit wrote, "The Free Press sewing machine has proved itself a 'prize' in every respect. It has been in constant use in our family for the past year, and during that time, it has never been out of order for a day, doing both plain and fancy sewing with equal excellence, and combining simplicity with ease of operation. It writes its own testimonial in plainer language than we can express it."

The history of the sewing machine

According to the Museum of American Heritage, sewing got its start thousands of years ago, going back to the last Ice Age. But it wasn’t until 1790 that the first workable sewing machine was made by British inventor Thomas Saint. Designed to sew leather and canvas, his machine consisted of a single thread that formed a chain stitch and an awl to puncture a hole through the material being sewed. Saint’s instrument was a start, but it never moved past the patent stage.

Many inventors attempted to create an improved version of the sewing machine over the years, but that feat did not come until 1846 when American Elias Howe patented a machine that had a shuttle and a grooved, eye-point needle. However, he was unable to market his device in the U.S. and England.

Isaac Singer’s machine became the most successful, starting a revolution. In 1851 the inventor patented an appliance consisted of a table to support the material horizontally, a vertical presser foot to hold the material down and an arm to hold the vertical needle-holding bar and presser foot in place over the table. Many of Singer’s features were inspired by Howe’s machine, and would sue Singer for infringement. Eventually, the case was settled when Howe received royalties from Singer for his product.

By 1929, The Singer Manufacturing Co. was making more than a million machines in its nine factories and had 10,000 stores and 60,000 salespeople worldwide. In 1908, the Singer Tower in New York City was built to serve as the headquarters for the company. The 612-foot-tall, 47-story building became the world’s tallest skyscraper for a brief time.

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