1809 Patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats.

patent for weaving straw with silk & threMary Dixon Kies (March 21, 1752 – 1837) was an American inventor. On May 5, 1809, her patent for a new technique of weaving straw with silk and thread to make hats was signed by President James Madison. Because of the Napoleonic Wars, the United States had embargoed all trade with France and Great Britain, creating a need for American-made hats to replace European millinery. The straw-weaving industry filled the gap, with over $500,000 ($9 million in today's money) worth of straw bonnets produced in Massachusetts alone in 1810.[9] The hats produced with this technique were sturdier than others, because Kies’ method of using silk instead of straws in the seam held the cross-hatching together. Also, the hat-making method she introduced was highly cost-effective; thus, a lot of businesses in the hat-manufacturing market adopted it, after Kies’ patent was burned in the fire of the Patent Office in 1836. ad to make hats; patent was lost in Patent Office fire of 1836; considered by many to be the 1st female recipient of a patent (others consider Hannah Slater who received a patent under name Mrs. Samuel Slater or Hazel Irwin to be 1st recipient

Process for weaving straw with silk or thread

Category:
Millinery - Straw Hats

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
unknown

Co-Inventor:
none