A personalized memorial blanket keeps someone close through the details the family knows best: their name, the years of their life, a favorite photo or a line in their own words. Most memorial blankets are photo blankets, which we make by quote with a free proof; a name and dates can go on one of our shop designs.
Key takeaways
- Most memorial blankets carry a photo; ours are custom by quote, with a reply within one business day.
- A name and dates need no photo: type the text on a shop design and check the preview.
- Send the original photo or a careful scan; our team checks every file, and you get a free proof.
- For a sympathy gift, a 50 × 60 Minky Plush ($27.85) or Sherpa ($36.85) throw suits a favorite chair.
- Most blankets are produced in 1–3 business days; for a service date, contact us before you order.
What to put on a personalized memorial blanket
Choose what the family would recognize at a glance: the name they used for the person, the years of their life, and one photo or a short line that sounds like them. A few things chosen with care read better on a blanket than a long poem, and they stay legible when it's folded over a chair.
Memorial blanket ideas:
- Their name and the years, such as "Walter Hayes, 1941–2026".
- The name the family called them: Dad, Grandpa, Mom, Aunt Jo, or a nickname only you used.
- A line in their own words: a saying they repeated, the way they signed their cards, or the nickname they had for you.
- One favorite photo, a portrait or a scene from a place they loved.
- A few photos across the years, kept to a small collage so every face stays large enough to see.
- Their handwriting, scanned from a card, a letter or a recipe and printed beside their name; it goes in as an image file, just like a photo.
Photos and handwriting go on a custom memorial blanket by quote. If the family shares a faith, a verse they love may belong on it; if you aren't sure, the name and a line in the person's own words suit every family.
For a name and dates alone, choose one of our name blanket designs, type the name or short text you want, pick a font and text color, then check the preview. It prints exactly as entered, so take the spelling and the dates from the family and look at the preview together with one of them.
On a custom layout, small text needs room: keep it at least 14 pt on deep-pile fabrics such as sherpa, chenille and mink, while 8 pt is fine on fleece and twin velvet.
Memorial blankets with photos
A memorial photo blanket is a custom order: send the pictures and the words, choose a blanket type, and you hear back within one business day with the price and timing. Before anything is printed, you get a free proof, and the photo is dye-sublimated edge to edge, so it becomes part of the fabric.
- Choose a portrait or a few photos. One portrait reads as a tribute, and a handful from across the years tells a story; many more than that and every face shrinks.
- Find the original files. Use the file from the phone or camera that took the picture, or a careful scan of a print, as the FAQ below explains.
- Write the words. The name, the years and one short line. Keep names and faces at least half an inch inside the trim line.
- Pick the fabric. Plush mink velveteen (300 GSM) for softness, premium sherpa (480 GSM) for a fluffy back, economy fleece or twin velvet when small text has to stay sharp, or woven for a textured, classic look.
- Request a free quote. There are no setup fees; shipping is extra, and local pickup in Alpharetta is free.
- Check the proof with someone in the family. Look at the names, the dates and the crop around each face; our team checks every file as well.
The price of a photo blanket depends on the blanket type, the size and how many you order; our guide to what a custom blanket costs goes through it. Shop name blankets without a photo start at $16.85.
Woven memorial blankets with pictures
Our woven blanket is one of the nine quote types: 550 GSM, 85% polyester and 15% cotton, 50 × 60, finished with decorative tassels, and its photo is dye-sublimated like every type except faux fur. Many woven photo throws sold elsewhere are jacquard-woven instead, with the picture built from colored yarns.
On a woven blanket, the texture shows in the image, so one clear photo suits it better than a detailed collage.
Memorial blankets for mom or dad
A memorial blanket for a mom or dad means the most when it looks like the parent rather than the loss: a pattern in colors they loved, the name the family called them and, if you have one, a photo of them doing what they enjoyed. For a parent's favorite chair, a 50 × 60 throw is the easy size.
Ask the family which picture they would choose before you order. The one that means the most is often an everyday snapshot rather than a formal portrait.
| For | A shop design with text | A photo idea, by quote |
|---|---|---|
| Mom | Checkered Daisy in Lavender or Pink, or Patchwork Print Daisy in Vintage Rose, with "Mom" or her name | In her garden, at the kitchen table or at a family dinner |
| Dad | Plaid in Mocha or Dusty Blue, or Patchwork Print, with "Dad" or his name | On the boat, at the grill, in his workshop or at the ballpark |
| A grandparent | Vintage Postage Stamp, or Hexagon Patchwork in Sage, with "Grandpa" or "Grandma" | With the grandkids, or on the porch |
For a parent who has lost a spouse, the family name or both first names can feel gentler than a blanket with dates. If each sibling would like one, the FAQ below explains how to order the same blanket more than once.
Sympathy blanket gift ideas
A sympathy blanket gift says you're thinking of someone in a way they can use quietly at home. A soft throw with their loved one's name, or with their own name when a memorial feels too soon, is personal without asking anything of them.
- Their loved one's name and the years, on a calm design such as Plaid in Sage, in a 50 × 60 Minky Plush ($27.85) or Sherpa ($36.85).
- The griever's own name, in a color they like: a blanket that is about them, not the loss.
- A faux fur throw: 850 GSM and 50 × 60, in brown, gray, hazelnut or ash fur, with a name laser-engraved on a patch in one corner. It's a custom blanket by quote and spot clean only.
- A photo blanket from a group of friends, coworkers or teammates, often sent a few weeks later, when the first cards have slowed down.
Keep the words plain and kind, in your own voice: the person's name, "Thinking of you", or a line the family already uses. Skip lines that tell someone how to feel or where their loved one is now.
A sympathy blanket gift basket
Build the basket around the blanket and a few things that make the next weeks easier: their favorite tea or coffee, a meal-delivery or grocery gift card, a plant that needs little care and a card in your own handwriting.
Our blankets ship as a regular order, without gift packaging or a note inside, so put the basket together yourself, or have the blanket sent to you first and bring everything over in person.
Memorial blankets for a funeral or celebration of life
At a funeral or celebration of life, a memorial blanket is often shown on a chair or beside the guest book, then goes home with the family. A service is usually only days away, so plan back from the date: the quote and a free proof come first, most of our custom blankets are produced in 1–3 business days, and shipping comes on top.
For a service date:
- Contact us first with the date, through our contact page, at (678) 845-6864 or at hello@tidalcolors.com. Rush options are available.
- Send the photos and words with your quote request the same day.
- Answer the proof quickly, after one more check of the names and dates.
- Choose free local pickup in Alpharetta to skip transit, or the shipping option that fits; every order ships with tracking.
- Ship it to the family's home or to yourself, wherever someone can receive it; each order goes to one address, with no card inside.
The quote reply includes the timing, so within one business day you'll know where things stand. For what happens between the quote and the finished blanket, see how personalized blankets are made.
Where can I get a memorial blanket made?
You can get a memorial blanket made at a print shop that takes photo orders, through a photo-gift website or from a marketplace seller. With us, you send the photos and words in a free quote request, we print the blanket in Alpharetta, GA, and you pick it up free or have it shipped with tracking to any of the 50 states.
Wherever you order, ask two questions before you pay: will you see a proof before printing, and will a person look at an older photo before it prints? Both matter most when there's only one copy of a picture. Our page on custom photo blankets covers the nine blanket types and how to prepare photos.
Near Atlanta, our shop is at 1891 McFarland Pkwy in Alpharetta. Local pickup is free, and we let you know when your blanket is ready; hours are Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM and Sat 9 AM–2 PM.
Making a memorial blanket together
A memorial blanket doesn't have to be finished in a day. Unless there's a service date, take the time to choose the photo and the words with the people who will keep it, and call or email us with any question before you order.
You can reach us at (678) 845-6864 or hello@tidalcolors.com. For a name-only blanket, choose a design, type the name and the years, and check the preview; for photos, start with a quote. Each blanket is printed in Alpharetta, GA.
Frequently asked questions
How many shirts does it take to make a memory blanket?
It depends on the quilt: a memory blanket sewn from shirts is a quilter's project, and the count comes from the blanket's size and how large each square is cut. If you'd rather have a favorite shirt or jersey printed on a blanket, send a photo of it, or its design, with a quote request.
Can I make a memorial blanket for a pet?
Yes. A clear, close photo of the pet with its name makes a custom blanket by quote; a 30 × 40 fits the pet's old spot or a lap, and a 50 × 60 suits the couch. For a name only, type the pet's name on any shop design and check the preview.
Can I use an old printed photo on a memorial blanket?
Yes, if it's scanned well. Lay the print flat on a scanner at its highest photo setting rather than photographing it through glass; the file should reach 300 DPI at the size it will print, and 150 DPI is the minimum. Our team checks every file, and the free proof shows how it will look.
Can each family member get the same memorial blanket?
Yes. There's no minimum, so you can order one for each sibling or grandchild: the same shop design with the same name, or one photo layout repeated by quote, where larger orders get volume pricing. If each blanket needs a different name, send the list of names with your quote request.
What size should a memorial blanket be?
A 50 × 60 throw suits a chair or the couch and is an easy size to keep out; 30 × 40 works as a lap blanket, and 60 × 80 covers a bed. Woven, chenille, twin velvet and faux fur come in 50 × 60 only, and 96 × 120 is available on select fleece and mink by quote. For bed sizes, see our blanket size chart.
