It is so good to see you here, Maggie! I am never able to leave comments on your blog. Your son is a doll. One thing I did to keep my sanity with sewing is to combine machine and hand sewing. I only had a basic machine from 1960, so I really only worked with straight stitching and the occasional zig-zag. When I worked with bias tape, I would use the machine to attach the tape, but finish the public side by hand (I am an excellent hand stitcher). That gave me the foundation for applying the tape, and the aesthetic I was looking for in the finished product.

I think what you made looks great! A zipper sticking out can't be any worse than sewing the entire perimeter of a project only to turn it inside out and find that you didn't remember the golden rule of "right sides together" :) I'm a knitter as well and making my way into sewing - it's a whole different, frustrating ball game (especially when you have to rip out stiches and start over). I recently discovered this channel called sewingtimes and even if you don't make any of the patterns, her videos have taught me so much about technique. Good luck with it - I look forward to updates as you progress with it!!