In 1790 Thomas Saint took out a patent on a machine for sewing leather. Though he probably made only an experimental model, it was the first ever sewing machine. In 1850 Isaac Merritt Singer, whose name was to become almost synonymous with sewing machines, made his first machine. Singer combined technical ability with marketing flair, but he did not lack capable rivals. As a result the manufacture and use of sewing machines grew rapidly in North America and Europe, including Britain.