Helen Augusta Blanchard (25 October 1840 – January 12, 1922) was an American inventor who received 28 patents between 1873 and 1915. She was known for her numerous inventions dealing with sewing machines and sewing technology.

Early life

Blanchard was born in Portland, Maine on October 25, 1840 to a wealthy family. Her father was Nathaniel Blanchard, a shipowner and businessman; her mother was Phoebe Buxton Blanchard. Helen was one of six children; two other daughters Louise Phobe, and Persis E., and three sons David H., Augustus, and Albus. For much of her young life Helen remained in Portland with her family. Her Father ran a successful business until the Financial Panic of 1866, also the year that most of Portland burned to the ground. After the failure of her father's business she moved to Boston, presumably on her own, to pursue a career as an inventor. Helen demonstrated an inventive turn of mind at an early age, but there is no indication that she received any mechanical or technical education, despite her patents being involved mostly in these subjects.

First inventions and move to Boston – 1870s

Her father suffered financial losses as a result of the business panic of 1866, resulting in the loss of the family homestead. Nathaniel died, leaving his family with financial troubles. As a result, Helen Blanchard and her family sold their ancestral home at the corner of High St. and Pleasant St., west side. Helen moved to Boston, Massachusetts and patented several inventions relating to sewing machines in 1873 and 1875. The most important of her inventions was likely Patent No. 141987, an improvement in sewing machines that introduced the buttonhole stitch. This included the Blanchard over-seaming-machine, which could simultaneously sew and trim knitted fabrics. Notably, she had to borrow money to help pay for the development and filing of her first few patents. The majority of her inventions were designed to be used in commercial settings, and it would be over 60 years before another inventor came along to revolutionize the in-home sewing machine to the same extent that Helen was able to change commercial operations.

Philadelphia and New York – late 1870s–1890s

After developing techniques for zigzag stitching and over seaming, Blanchard moved to Philadelphia, where she established the Blanchard Overseaming Company of Philadelphia to market her inventions in 1881. She also founded the Blanchard Hosiery Machine Company in 1882. After her success in Boston, she was able to pay back the loans she had taken to develop her first few inventions. Later, she would go on to use the proceeds from her profitable ventures in Philadelphia to repurchase the property in Maine that her family sold after her father's passing. She moved to New York in the early 1890s, and continued to patent a variety of inventions, including a pencil sharpener and a hat sewing machine.

Later life and legacy

Helen moved back to the family property in Portland in 1901. There, she continued to patent inventions until suffering a stroke in 1916. She died in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1922 and is buried in the family plot in Portland's Evergreen Cemetery. It is unclear what became of her property and wealth after her death. However, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Notably, one of her Zig-Zag sewing machines is now on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. This was considered one of her most important inventions and revolutionized the way that commercial sewing was done for over half of a century.

Patents

Helen Blanchard received 28 patents over about 45 years, 22 of which involved sewing and sewing machines. Many of these inventions have been referenced by other inventors in their own designs. 1873-Improvement in Sewing Machines 1875- Improvement in Elastic Seams for Garments 1875- Improvement in Elastic Goring for Shoes 1876- Improvement in Welted and Covered Seams 1882- Hollow Sewing Needle 1883- Spool Case 1893- Method of Securing Reeds or Cords to the Edges of Material 1893- Sewing-Needle 1894- Surgical Needle 1898 - Improvements to Sewing Needles and Machines 1900- Sewing Machine Needle 1901- Seam for Sewed Articles ** 1901- Hat Sewing Machine** 1914- Method of Selvage-Sewing