The History of the Sewing Needle

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THE HISTORY OF THE SEWING NEEDLE 2 It is hard to Imation that a small thing like a hand sewing needle has had a major role in the history of humans. Some facts and history about the hand sewing needle are very interesting. One of the first sewing needles was made from bone and was used to sew animal hides together for clothing. One of the oldest known bone sewing needles was found in what is now southwestern France and has been estimated to be over 25,000 years old. (Beggerow, 2009) “A variety of archaeological finds illustrate sewing has been present for thousands of years. The Romans left elaborate traces of their sewing technology, especially thimbles and needles. Even earlier Stone Age finds, such as the excavations on the island of Öland at Alby, Sweden, reveal objects such as bone needle cases dating to 6000 BC. Ivory needles were also found dated to 30,000 years ago at the Kostenki site in Russia. The oldest needle in the world was made of bone, dated to Aurignacian and discovered in Potočka Zijalka cave in Eastern Karavanke, Slovenia.” (Foundation, 2012) “Native Americans were known to use sewing needles from natural sources. One such source, the agave plant, provided both the needle and the "thread." The agave leaf would be soaked for an extended period of time, leaving a pulp, long, stringy fibers and a sharp tip connecting the ends of the fibers.” (Foundation, 2012) The "needle" is essentially, which was the tip end of the leaf, and once the fibers dried, the fibers and "needle" could then be used to sew together skins and other items, such as animal skins for use in a cloth-like manner.” (Foundation, 2012) “Residues of animal skin pants, shirts, and shoes have been found in a 22,000 year old Cro-Magnon grave near Moscow in Russia. Wild flax fibers from 34,000 year old thread or twine have been found at a cave site in the Republic of

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