the first machine to combine all the disparate elements of the previous half-century of innovation into the modern sewing machine was the device built by english inventor john fisher in 1844, thus a little earlier than the very similar machines built by the infamous isaac merritt singer in 1851, and the lesser known elias howe, in 1845. however, due to the botched filing of fisher's patent at the patent office, he did not receive due recognition for the modern sewing machine in the legal disputations of priority with singer, and it was singer who won the benefits of the patent.