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So I bought some material for a baby afghan on 18 ct natural...I don't want to do one for a baby, though. I thought I could just do a little throw to put over a chair or something. I've noticed that it frays very easily. To fix that can't I just do a zigzag stitch along the edge, or can I do something else to stop it from fraying even more?? Also I don't know what pattern to use, or what I can do...If I did an alphabet I would want it to be pretty or flowery maybe? I also saw some dragon letters a while back on the HAED website, but have since not been able to find them. Help please!

I've done several afghans. With one, I did a pretty tight, but wide zigzag, about an inch or so in,around the whole afghan, and then pulled out all the outer threads that ran parallel to my zigzag, and it gave it a nice fringed finishing edge.
With another one, I believe I zigzagged the outer edge, but then also folded it over to the back, by about 1/2-1 inch and just did a straight stitch on the machine to give it a more hemmed, finished edge.
And on a third one, I think I zigzagged the edge while I worked on it, but also got some strips of silky type material, like the edge binding on blankets, and sewed that around the edges when I was done.
With those 3, the backs are all open, but it didn't seem to make any difference. As long as the floss ends are long enough and run under your stitching by maybe 6 stitches, they won't come out. You could also iron on some fusable interfacing to the back of each stitched picture, and tack it down if you don't like your back showing.
On the last one, I did sew on strips of that fleecey material on all 4 sides, then layed it over another large piece of the same type of material, and did that cutting strips and tying together thing, to make a double thick blanket-but that is very heavy and thick.
As far as pictures, they have to be the right size to fit in the squares, so it depends on the size of the squares, and how many there are. I've done state flowers for each of the USA states, little flowered girls that represented flowers of the months, plus some more elaborate roses that fit in some larger squares on one of them. I also considered butterflies but never got around to that one.
I have a couple of pictures, not very good ones and not of all of them, on the third page of my link to photobucket, in my signature.
Good luck

I have done at least a dozen afghans. I have one or two in my gallery I think. I pick a motif (like fairies, or angels or birds or cats or flowers or I did two for my grandsons that had sports themes, a dolphin afghan for my grandaughter, one with a fishing/ocean theme for my husband, and one that was pretty much Paula Vaughn garden charts). I have mostly used Charles Craft Alphabet afghan fabric, though I've never done an alphabet. and also Anne CLoth (though I don't like it as well). I've had a little bit of fraying, but mostly not a problem and I don't do anything special with the backs. and they have been washed a lot also.
If a design is larger than one of the squares I just very carefully stitch through the borders. It can be tricky, but it can be done, and I have done 1/2 stitches also if necessary. I usually plot out what I am going to do and then mostly stick with it. Right now I made a huge change in the cat themed afghan I had started years ago but never finished by adding the HAED design of Amulet and Emmaline to it. My HAED Dragonriders is in the center of another afghan I just started. I will probably put some smaller dragon patterns around the edges. (Got great ideas from the Dragon Bingo that we had a few bingos ago - some will be HAED Storykeeps and a few others from other designers.
Sorry to be so wordy, but its nice to have other afghan stitchers around too. I just hate the cost of framing and my husband was an artist so our walls are covered with his paintings and there isn't that much room. Afghans are practical as well and cover up the furniture where its been clawed too.
I will be looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. There are tons of possibilities.

Carole

Thanks for the ideas! I'll try to do the zigzag pattern...and hopefully I can figure out a pattern I like to use as a theme.

Re: First afghan...any ideas? Help?!

Re: First afghan...any ideas? Help?!

Re: First afghan...any ideas? Help?!