LaVERGNE, Tenn. — Isaac Merritt Singer made a sizable contribution to the United States. Besides reportedly fathering 24 children (give or take a few) from five different women (again, give or take a few), the flamboyant man-about-town created another lineage – the Singer Sewing Machine – that still resonates today.

In mid-August, the Singer brand entered into its 160th year. To commemorate that milestone, the company has launched an interactive website – www.mysingerstory.com – to give Singer owners the opportunity to share their emotional attachments to this American icon.

“Since the introduction of the world’s first practical sewing machine 160 years ago, the Singer brand has brought the craft of sewing to millions of people across the globe,” said Katrina Helmkamp, CEO of SVP Worldwide, producer of Singer products. “People are deeply attached to their machines and the memories they evoke. Through the mysingerstory website, we are sharing information about each unique machine, while learning more about those for whom sewing is part of a family legacy.”

Through December, each person who submits a story on mysingerstory.com will have a chance to win one of the first commemorative edition sewing machines scheduled to hit the market in January. Although the machine will continue all the technology advanced features of the present, plus new innovations, the appearance of the machine will harken back to the iconic Singer machines of years past.

Company officials are using the antique-inspired machine not only as a tribute to Singer machines of the past, but as “an opportunity to introduce the modern innovations of sewing to the next generation of sewers everywhere.”

The 160th anniversary of the brand marks the issued patent of the first Singer sewing machine by the company on Aug. 12, 1851. Singer did not invent the sewing machine; however, he was the first to build a machine where the needle moved up and down, rather than from side-to-side, and the needle was moved by a foot treadle. In short, his machines were more practical, readily accessible for a $5 down payment, and were one of the first items of the Industrial Revolution to go into mass production.

Singer was also one of the first American businessmen to go international. In 1867, Singer established a sewing machine factory near in Scotland, near Glasgow. He also set up factories in France, near Paris, and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He also became fabulously wealthy, moving to the West Country of England and building a 115-room residence, the Oldway Mansion. After he died at the age of 63 in 1875, the Singer brand became a leading brand of consumer and artisan sewing machine, becoming a leader in several innovative breakthroughs, including the world’s first portable machine, the first zig-zag machine and the first computer-controlled machine.

Singer machines and accessories have not only been highly collectible antiques, but also have a legion of followers as evidenced by many of the 400 entries already posted on the mysingerstory website.

“It was 1958. We had just returned from Hawaii after a three-year tour with the Navy. Money was low, very low and I did want a Singer but couldn’t afford one. I usually don’t play bingo, but my neighbor invited me to her church to play. I thought that maybe I would be lucky. And I was. I won the jackpot - $391. The next day my husband asked me what would be the first that I would do with my winnings. I had my eye on a slant needle Singer. And that’s what we did, drove to the Singer Store. I still have it and use it and love it. And it’s been the best investment – EVER!!!! – Dory, Connecticut.

“My happy tale also began as a toddler crawling on the Singer treadle while the adults had coffee and dessert after a Sunday meal. My grandmother (born 1898) could make anything, including her own patterns, probably just like most of the women back then. I started sewing for Girl Scouts and 4-H, but eventually gave it up for college, boys and the bigger world. I have coveted my mother’s sewing machine for a long time – fortunately, she is a young 80, healthy and still sewing. I had the most unbelievable luck to find a Singer 401A at an estate sale this year. I’m now 50-ish, and can’t tell you how wonderful it is to return to my sewing roots. I feel like I am whole again. Diane, Colorado

“I am the proud owner of my mother’s Singer sewing machine. My mother purchased it in 1908. When I was born in 1923 her Singer had already stitched clothing for my six older siblings. Through the years, mother’s Singer can boast of making baby clothes, school clothes and also wedding dresses. It is still a functional sewing machine with the original attachments, although it is not retired. I am grateful, at age 88, that I still enjoy sewing. Last Christmas, I made Raggedy Ann dolls for two great-great daughters. I will always appreciate my mother’s Singer sewing machine. A very “special friend.” – Doris, Colorado

The website also includes a historical research feature that allows Singer owners to put in their machine’s serial number to find out when and where their machine was made.

So far, in the short period of time it has been running, the website has collected more than 400 stories from throughout the world. The stories are available to the public, and illustrate – first hand – how important the company, and the early art of sewing, played in the development of Western civilization.