Found in tombs dating back to the fifth millennium BCE, the story of the sewing needle is firmly associated with Pharaonic Egypt. Originally carved from fishbone, wood, and ivory, this simple tool was the starting point of a long journey, stitch by stitch, that would eventually lead to the revolutionary sewing machine.
Most ancient clothes were made of linen and included items like skirts, head coverings, socks, trousers, and gloves. Priests often wore stitched leopard skins in rituals, as can be seen in the wall paintings in ancient Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun’s tomb and in temple art.
However, the most important piece of evidence is the Tarkhan Dress found in the Tarkhan necropolis south of Cairo, which is widely acknowledged to be the oldest woven garment in the world. Dating back some 5,500 years, it has a V-shaped neckline, long sleeves, and neat pleats gathered at the back.
While the habit of teaching sewing at one point looked as if it might be dying out, it has nevertheless lasted through time and is once again becoming popular in Egypt, with classes attracting both the older and younger generations.
Sewing became popular in the 1950s, when many girls would go to private homes to learn. Fathia Al-Qadi, an 85-year-old retired seamstress from Port Said, said that “I first learned sewing from Greek nuns in church. Back then, the skill was passed down from grandmothers to mothers and was well known among neighbours. Later, there were schools, and the churches had nuns who taught us, until eventually it even reached local factories.”
She said that many families paid attention to teaching their daughters sewing, and lessons included embroidery and dressmaking.
“Port Said was home to Greek, French, and Italian tailors whose skills gave the profession its prestige,” Al-Qadi said. “Most of the fabrics at the time were imported, and we worked with Spanish linen, Japanese satin, Swiss voile, and heavy European materials like gobelin and jacquard.”
“Stores specialised in different types of fabric, and soon enough global fashion trends began to shape our own styles and influence the clothes we wore.”
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Egypt’s golden age of fashion, sewing education was strongly supported by magazines. Hawa, launched in 1954 by journalist Amina Al-Said, became the country’s leading women’s magazine, and Venus offered content on fashion and home tailoring.
Burda Style, established in Germany in 1950 and distributed in more than 100 countries and in 17 languages including Arabic, reached Egypt through Al-Ahram Establishment’s distribution outlets. Women used the detachable sewing patterns inside to reproduce European designs at home, making the magazine a practical tool as well as a cultural influence.
“Every happy memory I have is connected to the sewing machine,” Al-Qadi said. “It made everything, from newborn clothes and school aprons to Eid dresses, wedding gowns, children’s pajamas, and shirts for men.”
“For patterns, I would take apart an old pair of trousers and use them as a template for the new fabric. My mother could look at an item in a shop and identify the pattern instantly and then make it herself at home. The most unusual thing I ever sewed was a fur coat.”
Sewing has long been represented as a reflection of women’s financial independence, and in the late Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim’s novel Zaat, for example, there is a scene of the family buying a sewing machine to help make an income.
In the visual arts, a painting by the 20th-century Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said depicts a woman sewing, focusing on the value of such manual work and its role in everyday life.
But beyond its cultural representation, sewing involves a range of techniques, among them vintage methods. French seams can be used to enclose raw fabric edges to create a neat finish, and hand-stitched buttonholes offer both precision and strength.
Bias binding can be applied to necklines and armholes, adding flexibility to the garment. Darning can repair worn or damaged areas of different garments, restoring the fabric’s integrity. Decorative stitches, including hemstitching, tucks, and linings, can not only enhance the appearance but also reinforce a garment’s structure.
These techniques reflect the technical skills behind traditional sewing.
SEWING MACHINES: Although sewing machines have a long history worldwide, their arrival in Egypt has not been precisely documented to show when they first appeared on the market.
Zeinab Moussa, a 50-year-old housewife in Cairo, said that “I inherited my Singer machine from my mother, who inherited it from my grandmother. I still have it, and it is still working. I would say that it has been running for 110 years.”
The American Singer sewing machine became the most popular machine globally because of its simple and easy-to-use design. The first known patent for a sewing machine was in 1755, however, by German engineer Charles Frederick Wiesenthal, who created a double-needle machine that could do a basic chain stitch.
But Wiesenthal’s machine was too complex to catch on, and in 1790 the Englishman Thomas Saint designed a simple machine for leather and canvas, though he failed to market it. In 1830, French tailor Barthélemy Thimonnier patented another machine and had made 80 for the French army by 1841 before tailors working by hand destroyed his factory, fearing it would take their jobs.
Sewing machines became more widely adopted in 1851 when the American Isaac Singer patented his first machine with a rotating arm mounted on a table. This made sewing easier and helped Singer machines gain international popularity.
Moussa recalled how sewing machines used to work in the past. “The early machines had a treadle that you worked with your feet, meaning that you could use the machine at any time without electricity,” she said.
“But it was hard to control your feet and your hands at the same time and keep the work balanced. It was almost like playing a musical instrument. Later, the foot pedal was removed, and the wheel was moved by hand. One hand turned the wheel while the other guided the fabric. Later, an electric motor was introduced, and the machine ran at just the press of a button.”
In the 1950s, the first fully Egyptian sewing machine was produced at the Military Factories. There were two models, the “Nefertiti” and the “Ramses”, but they did not achieve widespread use like their imported counterparts.
Today, there is renewed interest among young people in learning how to use sewing machines.
Atef Mikhael, the owner of a sewing machine sales and repair shop in Port Said, said that “renewed interest from young people has invigorated the sewing machine market. A black Singer machine cost LE12 in the 1950s. In the 1980s, it was LE35, and today it ranges between LE20,000 and LE30,000.”
“I can remember back in the days when my mother sold the household brass to buy a sewing machine after my father passed away. She used it to sew bed sheets and curtains to cover the family expenses.”
“Women and girls often come to my shop today to choose second-hand machines, which are more durable than new ones because they are made of metal. Modern machines, by contrast, are mostly made of plastic,” Mikhael said.
The return of sewing machines has also had a positive impact on business. The prices of second-hand sewing machines today range between LE2,500 and LE4,000, and Mikhael said that “my sales have increased, and I now sell between four and eight machines per day, whereas previously it would take two months to reach that number.”
FASHION: Many young people today are learning to sew in order to design their own clothes and express their unique style. There is also a growing focus on sustainability, with clothes being repaired or repurposed instead of discarded.
The Fashion Atelier, founded in 2010, is a fashion school with branches in New Cairo, Sheikh Zayed, Maadi, and Alexandria, and it offers courses for both adults and children.
Among its programmes are special courses designed for children aged six to 15 years old, offering them the chance to explore fashion design at an early age. These run alongside its regular adult courses, reflecting the Atelier’s aim of making fashion education accessible to all generations.
“What makes us different is our philosophy and our focus on empowerment. I teach students so they can reach their goals, whether they want to start a brand, open an atelier, launch a couture, or just learn a personal skill,” said Tamara Rizkallah, owner of the Fashion Atelier.
Most of the atelier’s courses focus on teaching fashion design, pattern-making, sewing, and finishing. They require no previous knowledge, as the school has developed its own curricula.
The atelier also supports participants who wish to start their own businesses, providing guidance and practical training. Its programmes are open to adults of all ages, including those after retirement.
Sewing machines and fabrics are supplied by the school, allowing students to concentrate on developing their skills rather than on materials. In addition, the children’s courses take them from handling a needle and making sketches to pattern-making and stitching.
According to Leena Bahgat, one of the participants in the classes, “my love of drawing and colour encouraged me to join the sewing workshops because they allow me to turn a sketch of a dress on paper into reality, making what was once just an idea into a dress I can wear.”
Sewing education has also expanded online, with YouTube and TikTok tutorials attracting the younger generations. Other sewing academies have diversified to include the Bayt Al-Khyata, Tredco Al-Sayad, the Art Mina Academy, the Academy by Toqa Al-Azzawi and Meena Ismail, a pattern specialist, and Bel Tafseel by Bassant Maximus.
“Fashion is about telling your story through what you wear,” said Heba Dawoud, a high school student.
“I dream of creating my own brand, and I rely on YouTube to teach myself, looking for Egyptian channels so I can easily understand the language. I started from scratch, learning everything from sketching designs to sewing blouses.”
According to POI Data Platform, some 722 sewing-related stores exist in Egypt, with Cairo and Giza topping the list. Cairo alone hosts 233 shops, which constitute almost a third (32.3 per cent) of the total, followed by Giza with 96 shops.
There are 211 sewing-machine stores in the country, again with Cairo holding the lead with 74 (35.1 per cent), followed by Alexandria with 26 (12.3 per cent). In terms of sewing firms, there are 46 in Egypt, of which 11 are in Cairo and nine are in Giza.
These numbers indicate that Cairo is the hub of Egypt’s sewing industry.
The Ministry of Labour has also established free training centres for various trades including sewing and tailoring in Cairo, Giza, and other governorates like Port Said, Daqahliya, Beni Sweif, the New Valley, Qena, Assiut, and Aswan.
Complementing these initiatives, the Faculty of Applied Arts in Helwan provides a structured education in fashion, offering regular bachelors and diploma programmes, as well as short courses for non-graduates lasting for two to three months and specialised fashion-focused training.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 October, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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