Repairing a Worn Blanket

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.
Have you thought about trying to salvage just one side? Maybe pick the side that has the least damage to the bear? If you cannot find anyone that feels they can "patch" similar material then maybe consider buying a solid color (brown?) blanket of the same size and attach it to the worst looking side. You could tack the blankets together and place more emphases to try and join the blankets where the holes are.
i actually did this with my grandson's favorite blanket when it had been washed to pieces but he still wanted it. You will need a large work area if you try something like this.
Good luck - I hope you can figure a way to salvage your bear.

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.

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. The best idea is to properly store it.... wrap it in a clean cotton sheet, and store in an acid-free box, in a dry spot of your home, such as a closet shelf. By protecting what's left of it, you can hold onto the memory and take it out once in awhile to admire for nostalgia's sake.

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. She was able to find two different grandmothers on the site that were excellent at repairing old quilts and also darning. I do believe this would be the best way to go from all that I have read. If you can find a grandmother in your area that repairs old quilts this would be the best person in the world to help you out in repairing your baby blanket.

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.
Most likely you will need a backing and maybe even a frame for display but I really believe you should discontinue washing this item or you may lose it entirely.
If you can lay it flat on an outdoor table and wet it with blue Dawn it may take some of the stiffness out. Lay it on a thick towel with brightest color face down, wet with Dawn gently rub Dawn in cloth, and let it set for on hour; then rinse with clear water but just by running water gently over the blanket (reason for being outside).
Others may have good suggestions but think carefully before doing anymore washing, especially agitating, ringing out, twisting, etc.

Good luck and post back with what you decide to do.

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!

Start by mending the damages, maybe stitching down the frayed seams and loose bindings. To make it stronger you could add a stronger backing, by adding more of quilted materials to the back. Because of the love of this quilt, be sure to pick out sturdy materials and fabric that you could love on for more years to come. Also if not in use, put in a protected container so that the colors and vintage work will stay protected.

Please do not try this by yourself as I believe you would be very disappointed in results.
This looks to be a very well loved but now fragile blanket and will take someone with alteration/quilting expertise.
It may be expensive to have this done but it will be well worth the cost.
I realize that you may not have a lot of money but perhaps you can think of some ways to earn the money or maybe someone will help you with the cost.
First thing is to find out how much it will cost to make your blanket usable again.
There are dry cleaners who have seamstresses but I'm not sure I would trust them with something like this.
I feel sure there are quilting stores/shops in your area and one of these may be glad to help you out but they will have to see the blanket to be able to tell you if they can do it and also the cost.
Hopefully, you have someone who will drive you to some of these places.
You can locate any of these with Google - quilting shops - your zip code and see what shows up.
You may be able to call Michael's or JoAnn's craft store and ask them if they have anyone they could recommend.
Maybe you could make a request to your family that part of your Christmas present could be a little cash to help pay for this.
If you are a member of a church you might ask your Sunday School teacher if they know anyone at the church who might could help repair this.

If all else fails, you might place an ad on Freecycle and Nextdoor.com asking for help with doing this repair. There may be someone who could help for free. Be sure to let your parents talk to anyone you speak with so they know there is an adult involved.

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!!