I own a sewing machine, an old one, but unfortunately am not very good at using it, though I would like to get better.
I'm sure if you work at it you will get better. The sewing machine was origionally invented in the Industrial Revolution. 
Can you imagine if all our clothes we wear today (with as big a wardrobe as some people have) had to be sewn by hand?
No I really can't. The Industrial revolution was the transition to new manufacturing between 1820 to 1840
Hard to believe the changes that have happened in under 200 years.
Yeah, the textile industry was acutally the first to make the transition to modern manufacturing methods. 
That surprises me a little. I would figure it would have been some other industry. But I guess that actually makes sense.
And it fueled a lot of economic development in other industries too!
That makes a lot of sense, too!