Pardon me: I've just made the cutest thing ever

Yes, that's right. I've made the cutest thing ever - the apron from In Stitches. The fabric is from Purl, of course.

As mentioned previously, it took quite some time for me to get up the guts to cut and begin. My anxiety was reinforced once I actually started sewing, when the very first pieces I put together had been measured, um, "creatively", and I had to re-cut one (fortunately, a small one). There were also a few surprises along the way, such as too much fabric left here and there. A little trimming fixed those. I think it's the Elizabeth Zimmerman approach to sewing.

I am SO pleased with the result. I learned so many things - hemming, pleating and following sewing pattern directions to name a few. If I did it again I'd use interfacing in the waistband to make it stiffer and prevent the darker skirt part from showing through. I also didn't realize that most of the stitching would be top-stitching over the blue trim, so I chose a green thread, which looks fine, but I might have gone with something to match the blue. The topstitching on the waistband is a little wonky but I am almost out of thread on my bobbin and it hardly seemed worth threading a whole new bobbin to redo it when the recipient certainly won't mind.

One question to anyone who's made this or knows something about sewing - according to the directions I folded the bottom trim in from the short edges by 1" and then down from the top 1/2". When it was sewn altogether it left this little hole along the edge. Seems to me the 1" fold-in should have been bent around the back of the apron and enclosed the edge, and no hole. Does this make sense? Is anyone out there who has a thought? Hullo? Hullo?

Also, a big shout-out to my dad who solved my sewing-machine-is-busted crisis with his suggestion that perhaps the bobbin was wound back on itself and not feeding correctly. Apparently bobbin technology is similar to fly reel technology (who knew?).

Now I have the confidence to begin on the matching potholders!