Inspirations from Paris, Part 2: Machines a Coudre (Sewing Machines)

It is so nice to be back home again, sewing light blue zigzag blocks for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts.  I've also had some time to start organizing the photos I took.

You just never know what you may find when you travel with a scientist.  My husband gets so excited about things and people I've never even heard of.  Our trip to Paris could have been subtitled The Search for Lavoisier.  We spent an entire morning in 90 degree heat looking for a statue of this Lavoisier that we later discovered had been moved nearly a century ago.   And, of course, we went to the museum that houses Lavoisier's lab.

The museum is called the Musee des Arts et Metiers, and has all sorts of exhibits of technology.  (Click HERE to go to an article on the Musee des Arts et Metiers.)  And Lavoisier is/was Antoine Lavoisier, (1743-1794) a famous scientist who revolutionized chemistry, and then sadly was "revolutionized" by the Reign of Terror and the guillotine. (Click HERE to learn more about Lavoisier.)

While hubby was taking about a thousand photos, I was wandering around amusing myself, when I found this.

Sewing machines!  Of course!  One of the best things ever invented--even better than sliced bread or canned beer.
Most of the machines were in large glass cases, so please excuse the reflections in the photos.

According to the description, this is a Journaux-LeBlond machine, made in 1862, capable of sewing 3 stitches (I assume that means three types of stitches.)  I never saw this kind of set up for a machine before.  I'm not sure why you'd want to raise the machine like that.  The mother of pearl inlay was still intact, and beautiful.

This little chainstitcher dates from about 1880, and looks very much like machines produced here in the U.S.

My heart just about stopped when I saw this one.  It is identified as a crank operated sewing machine by Thimonnier from 1830.  None of the documentation said if it was a copy or an original.  If it's an original, it's as rare as hen's teeth.
The inventor, Barthelemy Thimonnier, was a tailor when he came up with this very early (1830!) design.  The machine sewed 200 stitches per minute, and he had several made and got a contract from the French government to make uniforms.  Unfortunately, a mob of angry tailors concerned about losing their jobs broke into his shop and destroyed the machines.  M. Thimonnier later tried to start up a sewing machine business again, but by this time other inventors had come up with better models, and technology had passed him by. 

He still was remembered on a stamp.

This adorable little treadle was made by Peugeot, the French company that started out making coffee mills and still makes cars and bicycles.

I just love these old trade cards.  For the record, I do not wear a ball gown when I treadle.

Check out the undercarriage of this hand crank.  Can you see the spool of thread? This might be like an Eldredge Two Spool, where a small spool of thread is used instead of a bobbin.

The machine is a Hurtu et Hautin.  The design of the head is called a classic "open frame".  (Click HERE to go to the Ismacs article on Hurtu.)

One last thing--can you see the metal rod in the case right behind the glass flask?  It is an ell, an early way to measure lengths of fabric.  Now we use a yardstick or a meter stick, of course.

There were lots of other textile-related exhibits, including looms, several with Jacquard cards to make all sorts of amazing patterns.  If you're interested in this kind of thing, I would highly recommend the Musee des Arts et Metiers.  It's easy to get to on the Metro, air conditioned, and has exhibit signage in English as well as French, although the English is less detailed.

Back at home, Little Buddy and I picked the garden.  Most of the green beans got too big to eat while we were gone!  I'll dry them and use the inner beans for seeds for next year's garden.  The tomatoes are perfect.

I enjoy traveling and learning new things.  Just this museum visit alone has sparked lots of ideas for further research.   And all thanks to my hubby's obsession with that Lavoisier guy.

Here's where I'll be today.

I'm wishing good experiences, new ones or old ones, for you this week.
Cheers for reading this long post!
Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:
Angela at So scrappy
Myra at Busy Hands Quilts-Finished or Not Friday (for the last time!)
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Cynthia at Oh Scrap