A sewing machine is used to stitch fabric together with thread. Sewing machines were an invention of the industrial revolution that made it possible to sew faster than people could sew by hand. Some sewing machines are also used for embroidery. Since the invention of the first working sewing machine, generally considered to have been the work of Englishman Thomas Saint in 1790, the sewing machine has greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of the clothing industry.