Helen Augusta Blanchard
Personal Information
Born: 1840
Died: 1922
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
no formal education
Professional Life
Field of Study: Inventor
Institution/Corporation: none
Degrees & Memberships: none
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2006, National Inventors Hall of Fame
Achievements: zig-zag sewing machine; buttonhole stitcher; over-seaming machine; pencil sharpener; hat sewing machine; founded Blanchard Overseaming Company, 1881; founded Blanchard Hosiery Company, 1882; improvements in elastic seams for garments; improvements in elastic goring for shoes; improvement in welted & covered seams; hollow sewing needle; spool case; method of securing reeds or cords to the edges of material; sewing needle; surgical needle; method of selvage-sewing
Held 28 patents; 22 for sewing machines & sewing technology
Introduced the buttonhole stitch
1881, founded Blanchard Overseaming company of Philadelphia
1882, founded Blanchard Hosiery Machine Company
One of her ZigZag sewing machines is on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in DC
Her sewing machine inventions were installed in large factories & saved time & money in the commercial sewing industry
She had no formal mechanical training
She also received a patent for an improved pencil sharpener & surgical needle