diff --git a/src/type1/t1load.c b/src/type1/t1load.c
index 0838e1a52..8fe16f4eb 100644
--- a/src/type1/t1load.c
+++ b/src/type1/t1load.c
@@ -117,6 +117,9 @@
         goto Exit;
 
       blend->num_default_design_vector = 0;
+      blend->weight_vector = NULL;
+      blend->default_weight_vector = NULL;
+      blend->design_pos[0] = NULL;
 
       face->blend = blend;
     }
@@ -130,14 +133,11 @@
 
 
         /* allocate the blend `private' and `font_info' dictionaries */
-        if ( FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->font_infos[1], num_designs     ) ||
-             FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->privates  [1], num_designs     ) ||
-             FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->bboxes    [1], num_designs     ) ||
-             FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->weight_vector, num_designs * 2 ) )
+        if ( FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->font_infos[1], num_designs ) ||
+             FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->privates  [1], num_designs ) ||
+             FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->bboxes    [1], num_designs ) )
           goto Exit;
 
-        blend->default_weight_vector = blend->weight_vector + num_designs;
-
         blend->font_infos[0] = &face->type1.font_info;
         blend->privates  [0] = &face->type1.private_dict;
         blend->bboxes    [0] = &face->type1.font_bbox;
@@ -164,21 +164,6 @@
       blend->num_axis = num_axis;
     }
 
-    /* allocate the blend design pos table if needed */
-    num_designs = blend->num_designs;
-    num_axis    = blend->num_axis;
-    if ( num_designs && num_axis && blend->design_pos[0] == NULL )
-    {
-      FT_UInt  n;
-
-
-      if ( FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->design_pos[0], num_designs * num_axis ) )
-        goto Exit;
-
-      for ( n = 1; n < num_designs; n++ )
-        blend->design_pos[n] = blend->design_pos[0] + num_axis * n;
-    }
-
   Exit:
     return error;
 
@@ -872,13 +857,15 @@
   {
     T1_TokenRec  design_tokens[T1_MAX_MM_DESIGNS];
     FT_Int       num_designs;
-    FT_Int       num_axis;
+    FT_Int       num_axis = 0; /* make compiler happy */
     T1_Parser    parser = &loader->parser;
-
+    FT_Memory    memory = face->root.memory;
     FT_Error     error = FT_Err_Ok;
-    PS_Blend     blend;
+    FT_Fixed*    design_pos[T1_MAX_MM_DESIGNS];
 
 
+    design_pos[0] = NULL;
+
     /* get the array of design tokens -- compute number of designs */
     T1_ToTokenArray( parser, design_tokens,
                      T1_MAX_MM_DESIGNS, &num_designs );
@@ -899,12 +886,10 @@
     {
       FT_Byte*  old_cursor = parser->root.cursor;
       FT_Byte*  old_limit  = parser->root.limit;
-      FT_Int    n;
+      FT_Int    n,nn;
+      PS_Blend  blend;
 
 
-      blend    = face->blend;
-      num_axis = 0;  /* make compiler happy */
-
       FT_TRACE4(( " [" ));
 
       for ( n = 0; n < num_designs; n++ )
@@ -937,7 +922,13 @@
                                      (FT_UInt)num_axis );
           if ( error )
             goto Exit;
-          blend = face->blend;
+
+          /* allocate a blend design pos table */
+          if ( FT_QNEW_ARRAY( design_pos[0], num_designs * num_axis ) )
+            goto Exit;
+
+          for ( nn = 1; nn < num_designs; nn++ )
+            design_pos[nn] = design_pos[0] + num_axis * nn;
         }
         else if ( n_axis != num_axis )
         {
@@ -955,8 +946,8 @@
 
           parser->root.cursor = token2->start;
           parser->root.limit  = token2->limit;
-          blend->design_pos[n][axis] = T1_ToFixed( parser, 0 );
-          FT_TRACE4(( " %f", (double)blend->design_pos[n][axis] / 65536 ));
+          design_pos[n][axis] = T1_ToFixed( parser, 0 );
+          FT_TRACE4(( " %f", (double)design_pos[n][axis] / 65536 ));
         }
         FT_TRACE4(( "]" )) ;
       }
@@ -965,9 +956,21 @@
 
       loader->parser.root.cursor = old_cursor;
       loader->parser.root.limit  = old_limit;
+
+      /* a valid BlendDesignPosition has been parsed */
+      blend = face->blend;
+      if ( blend->design_pos[0] )
+        FT_FREE( blend->design_pos[0] );
+
+      for ( n = 0; n < num_designs; n++ )
+      {
+        blend->design_pos[n] = design_pos[n];
+        design_pos[n] = NULL;
+      }
     }
 
   Exit:
+    FT_FREE( design_pos[0] );
     loader->parser.root.error = error;
   }
 
@@ -1088,6 +1091,7 @@
     T1_TokenRec  design_tokens[T1_MAX_MM_DESIGNS];
     FT_Int       num_designs;
     FT_Error     error  = FT_Err_Ok;
+    FT_Memory    memory = face->root.memory;
     T1_Parser    parser = &loader->parser;
     PS_Blend     blend  = face->blend;
     T1_Token     token;
@@ -1129,6 +1133,12 @@
       goto Exit;
     }
 
+    if ( !blend->weight_vector )
+      if ( FT_QNEW_ARRAY( blend->weight_vector, num_designs * 2 ) )
+        goto Exit;
+
+    blend->default_weight_vector = blend->weight_vector + num_designs;
+
     old_cursor = parser->root.cursor;
     old_limit  = parser->root.limit;
 
@@ -2578,7 +2588,15 @@
          ( !face->blend->num_designs || !face->blend->num_axis ) )
       T1_Done_Blend( face );
 
-    /* another safety check */
+    /* the font may have no valid WeightVector */
+    if ( face->blend && !face->blend->weight_vector )
+      T1_Done_Blend( face );
+
+    /* the font may have no valid BlendDesignPositions */
+    if ( face->blend && !face->blend->design_pos[0] )
+      T1_Done_Blend( face );
+
+    /* the font may have no valid BlendDesignMap */
     if ( face->blend )
     {
       FT_UInt  i;