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Has anyone seen a blanket like this being sold anywhere? I'm trying to restore this one and it has several large holes and is threadbare in many areas so I was hoping to find a similar blanket to use to reinforce and patch with. Also, any ideas for repair in general? I'm a novice with a sewing machine so I was trying to keep it as simple as possible.
I've asked some local seamstresses, but so far they've said they can't help without similar fabric to work with. :( Let me know what you think!! Thank you :)
It looks like you could darn it. Get a book on darning or google it. Use the same colors of thread. You could make a sturdy repair that is not very noticeable.
It would really be unusual if you found a blanket like this - more like pure luck! I can easily see why you would like to restore it but with the large holes this may not be possible. Some places may be fixable but since this is a reversible blanket it would probably not look so good.
I have a baby blanket and I want to fix the holes. I have tried sewing the holes together, but the fabric tore more. Any suggestions? I love the blanket and don't want it to tear apart!
There are holes like the one is the picture is 4 or 5 other spots as well!
This may be a time to find a soft fabric and stitch it to the blanket, covering the gap and in an applique style.
The blanket fabric looks much to fragile to cinch it together to see. That risks more damage.
I can find you some good how to applique videos on YouTube if you need them!
I do not believe your blanket is repairable but you may be able to place a new layer of cloth over the entire piece.
Search Google for a quilting or sewing class in your area (your zip code) and take it to one of these places to see if you get someone to help you.
You might also try asking for help at your Michael's or JoAnn's as they usually have people's cards that do this type of work.
It may cost to get it repaired but it then would be like new.
I have a blanket that's been with me for as long as I can remember. I'm older now, but I still want to preserve it as a memory and make it look (and feel) as good as new. There are no holes or anything, it's just worn from years and years of use.
Is there anyway I can add to get its softness back in the edges and small patches? I'll do whatever I have to keep this childhood memory.
Once a blanket gets that threadbare, there isn't really anything you can do to bring it back to like new condition. But you can do something to keep it from getting worse. It goes without saying that you shouldn't use the blanket anymore. Either store it away or hang it on a wall where it is out of direct sunlight to keep it from fading.
This question has been asked on several sites now and it seems that the majority of the people say to cut up the blanket and make a rag purse out of it. While others suggest that you purchase a fleece backing and use an infusion product to infuse the two pieces together. However, I did find one person who said that she put in an advertisement on Esty and asked if anyone could help her out.
I can easily see why you are so eager to 'restore' this blanket but you may have to settle for just trying to save it.
I would suggest you try to find a very good seamstress and see if they have some ideas about how to fix this up for you. But if you take it to someone and they do not treat it gently then please do not leave it with them.
Good luck and post back with what you decide to do.
So this blanket has a date of 1977 on the corner. It was my mom's when she was a baby and maybe her unborn older brother's first, we are not sure. I've had it my whole life (I'm 14). I've come to terms that it is normal for teens, even adults to have emotional support blankets. I'm prepared to share my life with this blanket, but the thing is, even when I was a new born baby I rubbed in between my fingers, and still do, just not as much. I'm not ashamed of it, but I don't bring it in public.
Anyways, because of the rubbing, there are so many holes. You can tell it on the yellow bear I've rubbed my whole life (the softest part), but I've recently switched to the black bear. I want to preserve it so it lasts longer, but I don't want to cut it up.
Would it be a good idea to sew new fabric on the back? If so, any fabric ideas? Something not so hard that it is stiff and something not so thin, it breaks easy. Also something soft that I can be comfortable sleeping with.
This looks like a very small throw blanket for a crib or laying on the floor. I can see some of the frayed edges and wear and tear on the blanket. I had a baby blanket that was my daughter's that she just loved. I was lucky back then because my grandmother made quilts and was able to save this blanket for me. She added some new quilt backing to the blanket and redid the edges of the blanket. It did change the size of the blanket some but it was still the same blanket.
I found a good site online that you should contact for some help. They do this for a business. If you really love this blanket I would get some help in saving it for you. Try to contact this company and ask them a few questions to see how much they would charge you to do this. www.quiltrepair.com/
While you could probably do it yourself, it sounds like this blanket is extra special so you will probably want to have it professionally restored. Every town is different so maybe a reputable dry cleaner can tell you people (or maybe they) offer restoration services.
Things you can do to preserve it in the interim are hand wash it in a stationary tub or bath tub. Use woolite or dreft or other super gentle soap (but only use soap if it is dirty) otherwise, cool water rinse just to freshen it--hand soak, do not wring, dry flat if you can or hang carefull.
Post back with an update!
My childhood blanket was used recently (well, a few months ago) as a kennel cover for a friend's puppy and my husband has left it outside in the rain since then. My grandmother made it to be able to fold into a pillow as well (hence the extra fabric piece at the bottom).
There is also places missing that were there before he left it outside. Is there a way to salvage it and remove the mold without further damage? (P.s. he's already upset with himself about it)
You could try soaking it in a large bucket, tote, kiddie pool, or even your bathtub, in a water and oxi-clean solution. If that doesn't take out all the mold, next try a water and bleach mix. While it soaks, slosh it around every so often. Once the mold is gone (or faded as much as possible), squeeze as much water out as you can. Then rinse the same way as the soaking, followed by hand squeezing out all the water you can. Then place onto a clean sheet draped over a flat surface such as a picnic or patio table, and let dry flat. As far as the cloth itself, it is pretty far gone as to repairing, but you could sew up another whole outside covering and baste the layers together to hold old blanket to new fabric (or sheet). If you don't sew, maybe ask a friend that does. Good luck and let us know what happens.
I would soak it in a diluted bleach solution, wash gently and dry in the sun.
Kill the mold, then remove the stains.
I have had this blanket basically my whole life. It is white with pink polka dots. Since I have used this blanket for so long, it has worn down, a lot, to the point where there are holes everywhere. I have read many articles saying that I should just cut it into tiny pieces to keep it as a souvenir.
The seams are starting to come off. The fabric is really delicate because if you hold it up to the light, you can see through it. I want to know if there is anything I could do to fix my blanket.
You cannot restore fabric that has worn out. Just cut some pieces with a pinking shears and mount in a picture frame.
If you are really crafty and have another item of fabric that you love, you can make appliques and meld the two together. There are lots of fun videos on how to do this on YouTube.
You may be able to do repairs to each hole, but that could take forever and leave the blanket really lumpy. It is always an option.
On YouTube watch a few mending videos. There are some neat techniques out there. There is one that you turn the mend into a flower or leave or other shape. It is very cool.
It depends on how handy you are and how much time you have.
When I was younger, I was big into applique. It made some neat projects!
Hope this gives you some ideas. If you need more ideas, Pinterest may help too!! Blessings!!
Restoring a beloved childhood blanket is an important project. If you do not want to cut it apart and remake it anew, consider backing it with a piece of fabric and sewing the two pieces together to reinforce the childhood memory item. This is a page about restoring a childhood blanket.
