Sewing for grandchildren

Hello!  This is my first post.  Hope I'm doing it in the right place.    And I'd like to thank in advance anyone who will help me, as I'm surely going to need it!   

I would be considered a sewing novice and to top it off, it's been years and years since I've sewn anything. Also of importance is that the only sewing machine I have access to is my late mother's old 1940's Singer, which has no bells and whistles. At least I do know how to use it, though.   

I'd really like to start sewing some "easy" things for my two grandaughters, starting with PJ's.  I bought Simplicity 2326 "It's so easy."  http://www.simplicity.com/p-3063-girls-and-boys-sleepwear.aspx

It doesn't look all that easy!     So, I thought maybe I should join a sewing forum in case I need help.

First question:

Fraying-- I pre-washed the darling flannel I bought and it frayed something terrible! (at least in my opinion -- I've never sewn with flannel before.) I'm wondering if I should stitch under 1/4" on all the edges to prevent further fraying when it is washed.  But I'm also wondering if even that will work.  Any suggestions? 

First of all, welcome to the Forum! We have a great bunch of folks who love to sew & help each other out. We're glad to have you here.

Second, your sewing machine sounds wonderful. Knowing your way around a sewing machine is much more important than having one with bells & whistles, but not know how to use the machine.

And third, fraying is common with flannels. You can pink the raw edges or clip corners to help with the fraying, but you'll always get some after the washing. Just be sure to trim them off for nice, straight edges before cutting out your pattern pieces.

Have fun!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and the reply, Irene!