James Edward Allen Gibbs

James Edward Allen Gibbs (1829–1902) was a farmer, inventor, and businessman from Rockbridge County in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

[1] On June 2, 1857, he was awarded a patent for the first twisted chain-stitch single-thread sewing machine using a rotating hook.

Powers pioneered the use of many new marketing techniques, including full-page ads in the form of a story or play, free trial uses of a product and installment purchasing plan.

[2] The marketing campaign created a demand for sewing machines in the Great Britain that Willcox and Gibbs could not meet.

The machines shown employ the Gibbs rotary twisted chain stitch mechanism which was less prone to coming undone.