Before stitching a complete afghan, you might want to practice your technique on a smaller breadcloth. Afghans and breadcloths use similar ground fabric (Anne Cloth, 100% polyacrylic, also 100% cotton, by Zweigart), and you can get the feel of the cloth.

Some stitchers find using Q-Snaps a good frame for stitching on an afghan because you can hold only the portion of the cloth you are stitching within the snaps, and move them easily to the next stitching spot.
http://www.qsnap.com/

Other stitchers have found that rolling the afghan edges and holding them with bicycle clips or quilting hoops helps to keep the large expanse of fabric clean while you concentrate on stitching a smaller area.

You can find this type of notion in the Nancy's Notions catalog:
http://www.nancysnotions.com/
They are available under the names "Quilt Clips," "Quilter's Bicycle Clips," and "Jaws"

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From: Quick & Easy Needlecraft's "101 Needlecraft Shortcuts"

Apply fusible interfacing to the backs of cross-stitch items that will be washed regularly. Press after washing if puckers occur.

To fringe afghan fabric easily, first pin the fabric to an upholstered chair or sofa.

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The January 1996 edition of The Stitchery Magazine has an excellent article about fringing an afghan called "On the Fringe" on page 64. It gives directions for overlapping knot fringe, single knot fringe and double knot fringe.

Stitcher's World (formerly: The Stitchery Magazine)
PO Box 3332
Chelmsford, MA 01824-0932
1-800-388-9662

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From: Marianne
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999

To finish an afghan, how about a satin edging, lace or sew on a ruffle with contrasting fabric or theme fabric.

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From: Sue Carlson
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999

I used one of the Charlescraft baby crib afghans and had a local quilt shop put a fabric backing, backing, binding for the edges and they tied the sandwich together. Came out really neat and I am very happy with it.

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From: Ellie
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999

I am working on my fourth Anne cloth afghan. I fringe them. First I stitch around the edge with my sewing machine. Match the thread and sew on the area in between the squares, right on the edge next to where the fringe will be. The first three, I just fringed, the fourth one I am going to fringe and then knot the fringe. I will take four pieces of thread and tie them together on the very top. I tried it and like the results. I don't back the afghan. I am very careful with my stitching, so it will look good on both sides.

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From: Diantha
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999

I have done a few afghans and it all depends on who gets it as to how I finish them. If I am giving to a baby or toddler, I back it like a quilt and finish the edges like a quilt. If I am giving to someone older, it all depends again on how it is finished. If the back is really messy, I will back it. I have fringed the edges of a few, I have just hemmed the edges. It also depends on how much time I have to finish it as to how it gets finished.

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From: Diantha
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999

I used a satin style stitch for the border and then fringed right up to it. I made sure that the thread I was using for the satin like stitches were a different color but a complimentary color so I could see it and yet still looked good.

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From: Marianne Campbell
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999

I used the same colour floss as the afghan and did a cross stitch along the four sides and then did the fringe up to the cross stitch.

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From: CRAFTtalk (a Herrschner's publication)
Spring, 1999; Volume 1, Issue 6

Before stitching, determine the "right" side of your fabric. Look carefully and feel the texture of both sides. One side is more defined and slightly raised than the other.

Cross-stitch afghans are often large designs requiring multiple skeins of a single color. Make sure you purchase ample quantities of each floss color at the same time to make sure you are using the same dye lot throughout, particularly when stitching designs with large areas of the same color.

Cross-stitch afghans are not meant to be lined or backed with another fabric.

If your design has a large center motif, stitch that first and then stitch the borders.

Fringe the edges of your afghan fabric once all stitching is complete. You may wish to machine stitch all raw edges approximately one to two inches from the outer edge and fringe to stitch line.

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Date: 27 Jun 2000
From: Karen
Subject: Re: new member question about afghans

My trick for securing the threads on things that will be well-used is to weave the thread under several stitches, then loop it around the last stitch (i.e., go through it twice) before starting, and reverse the process when ending a thread. If it were something to be used by a child, I might run it under a couple extra stitches and do an extra loop --o--o just for a little extra security.

However, Pat (of Gloria and Pat) drags a piece of old stitchery around the country waving it around, getting it dirty, throwing it in the washer, and points out that the threads on that were woven under THREE stitches only, and are as secure as ever. She does recommend, wherever possible, weaving them down through three rows, not three stitches sideways, which will make the back of your afghan neater-looking, too.

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For another nice article called How to Finish the Back of an Afghan, read the article on Martha Beth Lewis' website: http://www.marthabeth.com/afghan.html