When I started buying sewing machines of my own my research led me to the older machines, and therefore, out of curiosity, the history of these machines.
This is the introduction to a new series of articles on The Sewing Movement Blog which will cover the history of sewing.
I’ll link the different eras when I start getting a few articles, but I will not be starting at the beginning of time. Instead the articles will jump around whenever I find something interesting to write about.
Researching
Just a little bit about the research techniques I will be using for this series. It helps me not to get side tracked, as creatives tend to do, and wander off into all kinds of tangents.
Steps for researching:
- Identify an idea, topic or research question
- See the list of topics I will start with below.
- Conduct a background literature review
- Google or if I have books Read initial information
- Refine the research idea and questions
- fine tune my initial idea and what I wanted to find out about it.
- Identify and locate primary and secondary data sources
- Google some more and possibly go to the library, or even ring companies themselves in the case of sewing machine research.
- Evaluate the authenticity and accuracy of source materials
- Make sure I double and triple check my information to make certain it is right.
- Analyze the date and develop a narrative exposition of the findings.
- Write the article
(Berg & Lune, 2012, p.311)
Topics
I’ll start with the following topics.
- History of Bernina
- History of Singer
- Sewing Machines
- General History of Sewing – Timeline
- Fabric Design
- Types of Garments
- Sewing by period
- Sewing by Culture
That’s a good year’s worth of research and articles for me so I think we’ll stop right there.
Interested in this series? Sign up to our newsletter so you will know when the next one comes out. Of course if there is information I get wrong or forgot to include send me a message. If there is something you would like me to cover also drop me a line.
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