At the start of the 19th century, all clothing was made by hand. Pants, dresses, shirts, everything was stitched together using just a needle and thread. But finally, in 1846, Elias Howe changed the world. He came up with another, faster and more easier way to make clothes. Howe patented the very first sewing machine and the industry that followed made the mass production of clothing possible on a scale never seen before.

Toy sewing machines

Of course, toy manufacturers couldn't stay behind and started producing toy sewing machines. After the second world war, there were lots of toy sewing machine firms and they were mainly in the UK. Unfortunately, by the late 1950’s they couldn't compete any longer with cheaper imports from Japan.

Dolly Dressmaker Seamstress

Typical toy sewing machine manufacturers: Singer, Gateway, Essex, Grain, Vulcan, Sew Ette, Cragstan, Casige and Betsy Ross.



Sewing Machine forum


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Comments (3)

Denise - April 29, 2015

Looking for a Cragstan B /O sewiny machine
►reply: Here are a few Cragstan sewing machines

Linda - February 22, 2015

I have a battery operated Husqvarna 1100 toy sewing machine. It was made by the Frankonia Toys. I would like to find when it was made and if there is a manual that goes with the little machine.Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Pj - December 27, 2014

I just found a green cast metal sewing machine with instruction booklet calling it "The Miniature Sewing Machine." Image searches indicate it might be a Pallitoy manufactured in the 1950s in Japan? Any info would be much appreciated.
►reply: Yes, Palitoy made toy sewing machines in the 1950s. There are collectors of these machines and can fetch (depending on state, box, etc.) between 20 to 150 USD.