Blanket Materials Guide: How to Choose the Right Custom Blanket

A photo blanket can be part of your everyday routine, a cozy addition to your home or a gift filled with meaningful photos. But before you begin personalizing one, it helps to understand what you’re choosing. The material affects how soft or textured your blanket feels, how substantial it is and how you’ll want to use it, whether that’s curling up at home or bringing it along on an outdoor adventure.

The differences aren’t always obvious from the material names alone. Fleece, plush fleece and Sherpa all offer softness, but they don’t have the same weight or level of coziness. Woven and quilted blankets both add texture, but they create it in different ways. Other styles, including picnic and baby blankets, are designed with a particular use in mind.

This guide explains what sets each Shutterfly photo blanket material apart, with a focus on how it feels and why you might choose it.

Photo blanket materials at a glance

Fleece, plush fleece and Sherpa are the closest materials to compare because all three are made for softness and comfort. The main differences are how light, thick or cozy you want your blanket to feel.

Classic fleece is the lightest option. Plush fleece adds thickness and cushion. Sherpa has the warmest, most substantial feel of the three.

Fleece blankets: soft, smooth and lightweight

A classic fleece photo blanket is made from soft microfiber fleece with a smooth surface. It feels lightweight rather than thick, making it an easy choice for everyday use.

This is the blanket to choose when you want a soft layer that’s comfortable to keep on the couch, spread across your lap or add to your bed. Because it’s lighter than plush fleece and Sherpa, it also works well when you want a soft layer without the more substantial feel of the other fleece options.

If you’re comparing the three fleece styles, choose classic fleece for the smoothest and lightest feel.

Plush fleece blankets: thicker and more cushioned

A plush fleece photo blanket gives you more material to settle into. It feels thicker and more cushioned than classic fleece, with added plushness that makes it especially inviting for curling up.

The difference between classic and plush fleece is primarily about how much substance you want. Classic fleece feels light and smooth, while plush fleece has a fuller feel. It gives you more softness to sink into while keeping a distinctly fleece-like feel.

Choose plush fleece when you want a blanket that feels thicker and cozier than standard fleece.

Sherpa blankets: warm, cozy and substantial

A Sherpa photo blanket is the choice for maximum coziness. Its luxe Sherpa material creates a warm, substantial blanket that feels made for bundling up.

Where classic fleece is light and plush fleece is cushioned, Sherpa places the greatest emphasis on warmth. It’s a natural choice for colder nights, chilly rooms or anyone who tends to reach for the coziest blanket available.

Choose Sherpa when you want your custom blanket to feel especially warm and comforting.

Sweatshirt blankets: familiar everyday comfort

A sweatshirt photo blanket brings the familiar comfort of sweatshirt fabric to a blanket you can wrap up in. It offers a different kind of cozy from plush fleece or Sherpa, making it an appealing choice if you love the feel of your favorite sweatshirt.

Made from 100% polyester, this style is a casual option for everyday lounging, relaxing on the couch or keeping nearby when you want an extra layer.

Choose a sweatshirt blanket if your favorite way to get comfortable starts with reaching for a soft sweatshirt.

Comparing textured blanket materials

Woven and quilted blankets both offer more visible texture than fleece, but the resemblance ends there. A woven blanket gets its texture from the way its threads are woven together. A quilted blanket gets its texture and structure from quilting.

The right choice depends on which type of finish appeals to you more.

Woven blankets: soft with rich woven texture

Woven photo blankets stand out because the texture is built into the material itself. The Jacquard woven style creates visible dimension across the blanket, giving it a rich, tactile finish that feels distinctly different from smooth fleece.

This texture also gives woven blankets a decorative quality. The weaving becomes part of the finished design, whether the blanket is draped over a couch, folded across a chair or spread over a bed.

Choose woven when you want a soft blanket with noticeable texture and a dimensional look created through weaving.

Quilted blankets: soft with a more structured finish

Quilted photo blankets get their texture from the quilting that runs through the material. This creates more definition across the surface and gives the blanket a more structured feel than smooth fleece.

The quilted finish is the main reason to choose this style. It brings the familiar character of quilting to a personalized blanket while giving the surface more shape and detail. Shutterfly’s quilted blankets are made from 100% polyester and are Oeko-Tex certified.

Choose quilted when you want a soft blanket with defined texture and the recognizable look of quilting.

Picnic blankets: softness where you sit, durability underneath

A picnic photo blanket needs to feel comfortable while also being practical to use outdoors. That’s why its two sides are made from different materials.

The top is made from mink fleece, creating a soft surface for sitting and relaxing. The Oxford cloth base forms a sturdier underside for placing the blanket on the ground. Rather than asking one material to do both jobs, the layered construction gives each side a clear purpose.

Nylon straps make the blanket easy to roll and carry to the park, an outdoor concert, a picnic or another day outside.

Choose a picnic blanket when you want a soft place to sit that’s specifically designed to come along on outdoor plans.

Comparing baby blanket materials

Shutterfly’s custom baby blankets are available in standard and quilted styles. Both are made from 100% polyester, so the clearest difference is the construction.

The standard baby blanket has a flat, non-quilted surface. The quilted baby blanket adds visible stitching, texture and structure.

Baby photo blankets: soft without quilted texture

The custom baby blanket offers a soft surface without the added texture of quilting, giving favorite newborn photos, milestone pictures and family moments plenty of room to shine.

Personalize one with the faces and memories your little one is growing up surrounded by, whether you’re making it for your own family or creating a thoughtful gift for new parents.

Choose the standard baby photo blanket when you want a soft personalized blanket without the added texture and structure of quilting.

Quilted baby blankets: soft with added texture

The custom quilted baby blanket adds definition through its quilted construction, giving it more visible texture and a more structured finish than the standard baby photo blanket.

Made from 100% polyester and Oeko-Tex certified, it’s a beautiful choice for turning newborn photos, first-year milestones and favorite family moments into something you can keep long after the baby years are over. Make one for your own little one or give it as a meaningful baby gift that can become part of their story for years to come.

How to choose the right blanket material

The easiest way to decide is to focus on the material quality that matters most to you.

Choose fleece for a soft, smooth blanket with a lightweight feel. Move up to plush fleece when you want more thickness and cushion, or choose Sherpa when warmth and coziness are the priority.

A sweatshirt blanket is a comfortable choice when you prefer the familiar feel of sweatshirt fabric. If you want texture to be more noticeable, choose woven for the dimension created by Jacquard weaving or quilted for a more defined, structured surface.

For outdoor use, the picnic blanket combines a soft mink fleece top with a sturdier Oxford cloth base. For babies, choose the standard baby photo blanket for a non-quilted surface or the quilted baby blanket for more texture and structure.

Once you find the feel that’s right for you, add your favorite photos to create a blanket that’s completely your own.

Additional resources:

• Photo blanket size guide
• How to make a blanket with pictures
• Shutterfly photo blanket FAQs
• Best photo blanket gifts for every recipient