IN glacial period our ancestors felt an urgent need for warm clothing. They needed animal skin, and more than one. At first, the skins were connected like this: the veins of the animals were inserted into holes made like an awl. But as clothing became thinner, the need for a finer tool arose. About 20 thousand years ago, a needle with an eye appeared. Some of the samples found are so small that horsehair was probably inserted into them for sewing.

According to the well-known gospel expression, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Some interpreters of this maxim argue that it was not the animal itself that was meant, but a rope made of camel hair. With this reading, the fate of the rich seems a little more hopeful... Other scientists are of the opinion that we are not talking about a real needle, but about the city gates of Jerusalem. At night they were locked, leaving open a narrow gate, just called the “Eye of the Needle.” Some late merchant could have squeezed into it - but without his caravan. Be that as it may, the metaphor itself proves the ubiquity of the needle in the poorest strata of society, for whom the New Testament was written.

Antiquity did not know for a long time that their role was also played by needles: such pointed copper clasps are already found in the earliest Egyptian burials. Their blunt end was usually decorated with some kind of pommel (hence the Russian “pin” - from the word “mace”, the name ancient weapon, which looked like a stick with a round knob). The tip of such a fastener could injure, and even in the 13th century BC. e. in the north of what is now Italy, a safety pin was invented, which we now stubbornly call the English pin (by the way, completely without any reason, because later, in 1849, a safety pin was patented by New Yorker Walter Hunt. This means that it is rather “American”). IN Ancient Rome This device, without which it would be unthinkable to wear a toga with all its complex folds, was called “brooches.” All of antiquity is filled with brooches; Persians, Romans, and barbarians pinned clothes with them - and only in the Middle Ages these pins were replaced by hairpins, and then buttons.

But let's get back to the needle. Already in Ancient Egypt, it was used not only to sew, but also to embroider. Over time, embroidery spread from East to West, but that, of course, is a completely different story. The first iron needles were found not in the Roman, but in the Celtic area, in Manching (now Bavaria), and they date back to the 3rd century BC. e. But in general the needle has changed little over the centuries. A technological breakthrough occurred only in the middle of the 14th century, when the method of wire drawing was mechanized using a hydraulic motor. The production of needles was concentrated in Germany and Spain. From there, the needles, called “Spanish peaks,” were also exported. In England, which was to become the main supplier of needles from the 19th century, their production began only in 1556. In Russia, its own needle business was established by decree of Peter I in 1717 in the Ryazan district, in two villages - Stolptsy and Kolentsy.

The needle has many different guises. With the advent of the eye, the eye was moved to a sharp end, the needle for surgical purposes became bent... Back in the 1670s, the needle began to be used for injections, but the modern syringe appeared only in 1853. Now there are painless microneedles that do not affect nerve endings. You won’t find such a needle not only in a haystack, but even in a smooth place.

Throughout its history, the needle remained a purely pragmatic subject. She transferred all the decorative functions to her sister, the brooches. The fate of the object that usually accompanies a needle, the thimble, turned out differently. It was independently invented by the Romans and Chinese at the turn of the Common Era. In different eras and different countries it was made of bronze, stone, clay, wood, leather, horn, bone, porcelain. In the 15th century, cheap non-solid thimbles were invented in Nuremberg, the production of which remained a secret for two centuries.

The technical improvement to this simple item was to prevent the needle from jumping off and injuring the seamstress. For this purpose, firstly, the working surface of the thimble gradually became smooth from spherical, and secondly, it was covered with a network of small depressions (if they are applied irregularly, it means that the thimble was made before the mid-19th century, when this process was finally mechanized).

Protect delicate Lady fingers from injections was a matter of honor for the men for whom all these handkerchiefs embroidered by the ladies were intended. As a result, the thimble - of course, not just any one - became almost a piece of jewelry. To make it, tortoiseshell, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, agate were used... Silver and gold, with enamel and blackening, thimbles often became collectibles. And of course, the exquisite thing was a wonderful gift.

The history of the creation of the needle and thimble briefly!!! Guys, please help. We really need your help! and got the best answer

Answer from
History of the needle and thimble link

Answer from Aisylu Kavieva[newbie]
Hand sewing needleNeedle (Needle) - a long, thin, pointed instrument made of a hard substance (formerly bone), most often known to man on sewing needles with a needle eye for thread on one side. It is used to destroy or deform the object of influence in order to obtain any new properties of the object or to overcome it. Due to the small area of ​​the needle tip, the force applied along the needle is concentrated on small area. This circumstance allows the needles to pierce material, the hardness of which is less than the hardness of the material of which the needle itself is composed, without being damaged. A needle is also called many other objects that have a similar shape. We can say that a needle is a type of blade with the size of the edge of the blade tending to zero. A thimble is a cap that is put on the finger to protect it from being pricked by a needle when sewing on the hands and to push the needle through thick material. Thimbles began to be used in ancient times(for example, more than two thousand years ago in China or even earlier in Egypt). With the advent of the sewing machine, thimbles became less popular. May be a collectible.

If in the Stone Age there was a patent office and a primitive man brought there an application for a sewing implement, which stated that “a needle is a pointed rod for sewing with an eye at the end”, all the inventors over the subsequent millennia could not have added anything, the needle is so perfect. Perhaps not a single tool has passed so unchanged through the entire history of mankind. A fish bone with a hole in the blunt end - that's the whole invention. But we still use this same “bone”, only made of metal. Some time after the creation of the bone needle (it is very fragile!) they began to look for a replacement for it. Thorn thorns were used, then needles began to be made of bronze and iron. Steel appeared in Europe in the 14th century, when they learned the secret of durable Damascus steel. At first they didn’t know how to make an eyelet - they just bent the blunt tip. The appearance of the drawing board greatly facilitated the production of needles and improved their appearance.

The steel needle was brought to Russia in the 17th century from Germany by Hanseatic merchants. And soon Russian craftsmen mastered the art of making it. Of course, Rus' knew needles before - they were forged from bronze and iron, and for rich houses and palaces - silver. But still, the steel ones turned out to be the best.

From the hands of unknown craftswomen who held this simple sewing device came breathtaking outfits of fashionistas of all times and peoples, and the finest embroidered pictures, and icon frames embroidered with pearls and beads, and everyday clothes, and children's toys...

Sometimes the needle acquired completely new “specialties” for it. So, in the 16th century, artists began to use it to create etchings. Etching is a type of engraving, the design of which is scratched onto a metal board covered with a layer of varnish. After applying the design, the board is immersed in acid, which corrodes the grooves left by the artist’s hand. An engraving needle is very similar to a regular sewing needle, only the tip is sharpened in the shape of a cone, blade, or cylinder.

Perhaps this type of engraving was born due to the fact that a needle was always “at hand” in any home. And the artist wanted to get copies of his works using paper and lithographic stone. But carving on stone with a chisel is enough hard work. This is where the needle and acid came in handy, which made things much easier and faster.

The first etchings were created in Germany in the 16th century by Albrecht Durer, D. Hopfer and other artists. In the 17th century, A. van Dyck, A. van Ostade, X. Ribera and the greatest of etchers, Rembrandt, created with the help of a needle. 17th century - works by J.B. Tiepolo, A. Watteau, F. Boucher, W. Hogarth, F. Goya. In Russia at this time, etching was also gaining ground: A.F. Zubov, M.F. Kazakov, V.I. Bazhenov and others worked with the help of a needle. Popular prints were often drawn with a needle, including folk pictures of the times Patriotic War 1812, illustrations for books, caricatures. And today this technique is alive, many modern artists use it.

The next “specialty” of the needle is medicine.

We have all been given injections more than once. At the same time, we experienced a not entirely pleasant encounter with a syringe needle. This is a stainless steel tube with the end cut at an acute angle. This needle is used not only for administering medications, but also for suctioning liquids and gases (for example, from the chest cavity). Surgeons use special needles to stitch tissues and organs. Depending on the purpose, these needles are round, triangular, or oval. At the end there is usually a split eyelet for the thread, the surface is chromed or nickel plated so that the needle does not rust. Ocular (ophthalmic) needles, with the help of which, for example, corneal incisions are sewn, have a thickness of a fraction of a millimeter. This needle can only be used with a microscope!

What about acupuncture, known since ancient times? Special needles are inserted into strictly defined points on the human body (there are about 660 of them). They range in length from one and a half to twelve centimeters, with a thickness of 0.3 - 0.45 millimeters.

But that’s not all.” achievement list"of our humble worker. When we put our favorite record on the turntable, we also use its services. It is also needed in the manufacture of carpets and non-woven textile materials (it is no coincidence that one of the methods for producing them is called needle-punched).

If we look into the “Russian Language Dictionary”, then in addition to the listed meanings we will find there that the word “needle” means leaves coniferous trees, hard, spiny formations on the body of some animals (there is even a special type of marine invertebrate animals - echinoderms), hard pointed crystals (for example, the most common frost), as well as a sharp spire of a building (in Pushkin - “the bright Admiralty needle”).

In the last century there was a so-called needle gun. When the trigger was pulled, the needle pierced the paper bottom of the cartridge and ignited the percussion composition of the primer. It was supplanted by the rifle. There are needle bearings (a type of roller). In a word, it is difficult even to simply list all the areas of “activity” of the needle.

But let's return to our ordinary, well-known sewing needle. It turns out that making it is not at all an easy task. Only a few countries in the world have established mass production of this most popular instrument. A few kilograms of high-quality machine needles can cost more than a beautiful car!

For many women, a must-have companion for a hand sewing needle is a thimble. There is a beautiful legend about his appearance... In the 17th century, goldsmith Nicolas Benshonten lived in the capital of Holland, Amsterdam. The young man, as expected, was in love. He liked Anita, the daughter of the stingy neighbor Van Ranselier. The girl sat in front of the window all day and embroidered. Anita’s skillful hands, as if by magic, created fairytale castles, unprecedented overseas plants, and unprecedented birds on silk. But the thin needle pricked the craftswoman’s finger painfully. And Nicolas’s heart, seeing this, bled every time. And then one fine day, a servant brought a gold cap with small indentations on it to Anita’s house. Its purpose was clear. But another one kept the gift secret meaning. Before this, the young man had never told Anita about love. However, the cap was made with such skill and diligence that she immediately guessed it...

Whether it really happened this way or differently is difficult to say. But the fact remains: in one of the archives of Amsterdam there is a message: “To the respected Mrs. van Ranselier, I bring as a gift a trinket of my invention and creation, so that it will serve to protect her wonderful and hard-working fingers.” Signed: Nicolas Benchontin. The date of the message is 1640. Perhaps Benshonten reinvented this simple sewing device, since it is known that already in the Middle Ages there were craftsmen engaged in the manufacture of these gizmos. From those times, elegant masterpieces decorated with enamel, inlay and engraving have come down to us. And the oldest ones, by the way, are gold. Later they were made of gilded silver or bronze, but the color remained traditionally yellow. This had its own meaning: against this background one can easily distinguish a silver-white needle.

In Rus', a metal finger cap appeared at the end of the 17th century and quickly gained popularity. By the way, the word “thimble” (as it came to be called) was not created specifically for him. This is what lead weights have long been called in Rus' to weigh down the hand when striking in a fist fight.

How the name of a formidable and cruel weapon passed on to a peaceful sewing device still remains a mystery to philologists.

By the way, why is a needle called a needle? Here is one of the possible origins of its name. In ancient times, oxen were harnessed to a yoke, which was secured with a thin wooden stick pointed at one end - a needle. This is where the name came from to our friend. The linguistic “relative” of the needle is the infamous word “yoke.” Yoke and collar are words of Turkic origin. And the ancient Slavic name for this harness is yoke. Among the people, the yoke and collar have always symbolized oppression and slavery. It is no coincidence that the saying “If there was a neck, there would be a collar.” And therefore terrible years The invasions and dominion of the Golden Horde in Rus' received their short and succinct name - the yoke.

It's amazing how many meanings and objects such a simple word carries - needle!

Recently, on the coast of Florida, under a thick layer of sand, treasure hunters discovered a huge wooden chest with the inscription “San Fernando”. Indeed, there was such a ship and it sank almost 250 years ago on the way from Mexico to Spain with a substantial loot on board: 150 million silver pesos. Treasure hunters fiddled with the castle for a long time, finally the long-awaited click was heard, several trembling hands threw back the lid, and... an ancient treasure appeared to greedy eyes: thousands, tens of thousands of sailor needles for patching sails!

Pay attention to archaeological finds, we can say for sure that the history of sewing needles begins quite a long time ago, since they were used by people who lived before our era - 40,000 years ago. It is unknown, however, who exactly invented and created them, but there is information about when and where the first metal sewing needles appeared; before that they were made of bone.

The most ancient sewing needles made of metal were discovered by archaeologists in Bavaria, in Manching. It has been established that the time of their manufacture is the 3rd century BC. However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the needles could simply have been brought there. The eye of a sewing needle of that time was completely different from what it is now (a hole for thread, which is familiar to us), the blunt end of the needle was simply bent, thus forming a ring through which the thread passed. The needle, discovered in China, is believed to be the first sewing needle made from steel. And this happened in the 10th century BC.

There are two versions of how sewing needles came to Europe. According to one version, they were brought in the 8th century by people of the Moorish tribe, and if you adhere to another, then the needles were brought by Arab merchants in the 14th century.

An important event in the history of sewing needles was the invention of Damascus steel; it was from it that new generation needles began to be made. In Europe, the first factory was opened in 1370, where sewing needles began to be produced (they were without eyes). They were made by hand using the forging method. The production of sewing needles increased in volume after the drawing method began to be used to create wire in Europe (12th century).

In the 16th century (in Germany), the method of wire drawing became mechanized (this could be done using a hydraulic motor), and a revolution took place in the manufacture of sewing needles. At that time, the main production facilities were located in Germany (in Nuremberg), as well as in Spain. In 1556, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, needle manufacturing enterprises appeared in England.

The emergence of industrial production led to a decrease in prices for needles, which in turn made them a more affordable product, because before that time a tailor could only have 1-2 needles, no more. The creation in England of machines (1850) that made it possible to make eyelets (the same thing familiar to us) created a real revolution in the history of sewing needles and made the country a monopolist in the production of this product.

Hanseatic merchants brought steel sewing needles to Russia in the 17th century. Before that, tailors had to use iron and bronze needles. There were also silver needles, but only the rich used them. But they were not made from gold; this metal was not suitable for manufacturing because of its softness. In Russia industrial production needles began to be practiced in 1717. By decree of Peter I, two needle factories were built in the villages of Kolentsy and Stolbtsy (Ryazan region).

The history of an ordinary needle.

I think everyone knows that the main tools for sewing clothes are sewing needles.

For a tailor, a sewing needle and thread are real helpers, and therefore they are glorified in poems and songs, and not forgotten in proverbs, sayings and riddles.

In Italy, there is even a monument to needle and thread, erected in Piazza Cadorna in Milan, near one of the train stations in honor of high Italian fashion. The threads are colored in three different colors- red, green and yellow.

The question of what came first, the sewing needle or the wheel, confuses many people who are still tormented by the question of the primacy of the appearance of the egg or the chicken. However, scientists have proven that the history of the sewing needle is still somewhat older than the wheel.

Without a doubt, the ancient needles were of a completely different shape and made of a different material, however, they served exactly what modern needles serve for. That is, for sewing.

But it’s true, at all times, a small needle has been and still is one of those attributes that must be in every home. Back in the 19th century, with the advent of the world's first sewing machine , female craftswomen, were fond of sewing and embroidering with a needle.

The history of the sewing needle says that the first sewing needles were found in the southern part of France and in Central Asia, and their age was 15-20 thousand years. Primitive people used a needle to sew clothes made from the skins of killed animals. The needles were most likely made from fish bones, which were able to pierce thick skins.

Among the cultural states of antiquity, I would especially like to highlight Ancient Egypt, whose residents not only knew how to sew with iron needles, but were also actively engaged in embroidery. Moreover, the history of the sewing needle among the Egyptians is supported by the fact that even then the needle was almost ideally shaped, very reminiscent of the modern needle we are used to, but with one thing…. She didn't have an eyelet for thread. The edge of the needle opposite the point was simply bent into a small ring.

And if iron needles were very widespread, then with steel needles the situation was somewhat worse. The history of the sewing needle tells that they appeared in Europe only in the Middle Ages, where they were brought by eastern merchants. In the East, steel was known much earlier, therefore, simultaneously with the production of weapons steel in Damascus, artisans also made steel needles. In Europe, mass production of sewing needles began only in the 14th century. True, no one even thought of making an eyelet for thread in it. Despite the mass production, the needles were very expensive and only affordable wealthy people. This continued almost until the British, in 1785, began to use a mechanized method in the production of needles. But for about 60 years, sewing needles were produced without the usual eye. Appearance they resembled modern safety pins.

IN mid-19th centuries, again, in England, machines were invented that “knew” how to make an eyelet in a small piece of wire. From then on and for a long time, England became one of the main manufacturers and exporters of sewing needles, in the design of which an innovation was introduced, namely, an eyelet for thread.

In our country there is also a history of the sewing needle; a decree prescribing the beginning of the production of sewing needles was first issued by Peter I, although the needles were “brought” into the territory Russian Empire, back at the end of the 17th century. From those distant times to the present time, needles have been produced in Ryazan region, in the same factories. Here it is, the connection of times!

To date, despite the fact that the needle has firmly entered into the life of every house or apartment, there are still legends and all sorts of speculations about it, such as the fact that you can’t pick up a needle on the street, you can’t sew on yourself, or you can’t pick it up someone else's needle, etc. But why the needle acquired such a mystical meaning and why Koshchei’s death is at the end of the needle, only God knows.

If it happened that the ancient craftswomen could look into the sewing boxes of modern seamstresses, they would probably die of envy. And indeed, there is something to envy, because the cost of needles is now just a penny, but the assortment is truly royal. Not only are there 12 sizes of needles in total, but there are also needles for sewing, furriers, embroidery and gilding, which do not leave marks on the fabric, and double-sided needles with a hole in the middle. Even for the visually impaired there are special needles with a thread eyelet made in the form of a carabiner. And platinum needles significantly reduce sewing time and are resistant to acids and alkalis.

But needles are probably most revered in Japan, where for about 1000 years a festival dedicated to broken needles has been held annually. Moreover, everyone can take part in it. During such a festival, all participants take down broken needles and put them in a special box, at the same time thanking the needles for their good service. After which, the box is forever lowered into the sea.

What a rich history of the sewing needle turns out to be for such a small and familiar item in every home.

Sewing needles can be hand-made or machine-made.

Hand sewing needles

Hand sewing needles include thread eye needles and tailor's pins.

Hand sewing needles come in different sizes and shapes. Depending on the length and diameter, the needles are divided into numbers from 1 to 12.

To sew clothes, threads of the appropriate numbers are selected for the needles, and the size of the needles is corresponding to the structure, type of material and thread number. For example: the bottom of a skirt made of woolen fabric is hemmed with a thin short needle (number 1 or 2) with a thin silk thread to match the color of the fabric according to the rules: the thinner the fabric, the thinner the needle; for short stitches - a short needle, for long stitches (basting) - a long needle.

The needle numbers and what fabrics they are intended for are presented in the table. Please note - the lower the number, the thinner and shorter the needle. Needles with a large eye cannot be used for sewing items made from thin fabrics.

Sewing needles are distinguished not only by size, but also by shape.

There are smooth-pointed needles, sharp-edged needles, and rounded-pointed needles. Needles with a smooth point do not destroy, but push apart the threads of woven materials (fabrics).

Needles with sharp edges do not leave marks from punctures of the material with a needle, so they are used for sewing products made of leather, rubber, and non-woven materials.

Needles with a rounded end are used for knitted fabrics and knitwear.

The table shows the numbers of hand sewing needles depending on the type of fabric being processed and the number of threads.

Sewing machine needles

A machine sewing needle is equipped with a bulb with a flat, a rod with two grooves: long and short, and a point. When piercing fabric, the thread is placed in a long groove so that the needle can easily pass through the material.

Needles for household sewing machines are divided by number. The number indicated in the name of the needle indicates the thickness (diameter) of the needle in hundredths of a millimeter (for example, a needle No. 80 has a shaft diameter of 0.8 mm). The letters indicated in the needle number indicate applicability. For example, needle number 130/705 H-M is used for sewing products from thin, dense fabrics.

Decoding the letter designations of sewing needles for household sewing machines:

H - universal needles have a rounded tip and can be from 60 to 110 numbers. Universal needles are designed for sewing cotton, wool, and wool blend fabrics.

H-J - needles for thick fabrics. These needles have a sharp point. Needles are used for sewing thick, dense fabrics such as denim, twill, canvas, etc.

H-M - microtex needles. These needles are very sharp and thin. Microtex needles are used for sewing items made of thin and densely woven materials, such as silk, taffeta, etc.

H-S - needles for elastic fabrics. These needles have a special edge that reduces stitch skipping when the material is stretched, and a rounded point. Such needles are used for sewing clothes from loose knitwear and synthetic elastic fabrics.

H-E - embroidery needles. Embroidery needles have a special notch and a rounded point and an enlarged eye opening, which prevents damage to the material or thread. These needles are designed for decorative embroidery with special embroidery threads.

H-SUK - needles with a rounded tip. Such needles spread the threads of fabric or loops of knitwear, pass between the threads or loops without damaging them. Used for sewing thick knitwear, jersey and knitted materials.

H-LR - skin needles with a cutting edge. The cut is made at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of the seam. The result is a decorative seam, the stitches of which have a slight slope.

In order for the stitching to be even, the threads in the stitches are evenly tightened, needles and threads are selected according to each other. The needles must be sharp, elastic, and unbreakable.

For laying two parallel lines on household sewing machines, there are double needles.

For thin cotton and silk chiffon fabrics, needles No. 75 and threads No. 80 are used;

For thin woolen fabrics - needles No. 90 and threads No. 50-60;

For calico, staple and linen - needles No. 80-90 and thread No. 60;

For thick woolen fabrics, corduroy, cloth, raincoat fabric, jeans - needles No. 100-110 and threads No. 30-40;

For coat fabrics - needles No. 110-120 and threads No. 30-40.

Tailor's pins

Tailor's pins with flat loops at the ends or glass or plastic heads are designed for fastening clothing parts together.

Pins 3-4 cm long are used for chopping parts, for transferring lines from one half of the product to the other, for clarifying design lines during fitting, etc.

Also, sometimes instead of basting, basting, basting and other manual operations, tailor's pins are used.

For knitwear and loose fabrics, it is recommended to use pins with a glass or plastic ball at the end.