[Pattern Review] Retro Apron

So, on my "mental health day", I actually started 3 different projects and finished none. Last night I decided I needed to finish one of them.

The reason I didn't finish 2 of them was a lack of bias tape. Serves me right for not reading the list of required notions on a pattern. I guess I'm not used to using the whole pattern anymore. Bias tape acquired, I set out to actually finish one of the 2 aprons I had cut. The third project will take some thinking as that pattern made NO SENSE.

Based on that pattern and this one (simplicity 2492), I feel a need to review these patterns (and sometime this week, find a good pattern review website to avoid this problem in the future). So clicky clicky for that and a big picture of the apron!

If you know me at all, you can already tell by the amount of pink that I didn't make it for me. I have more of the blue for mine. This is for my sister. I also have enough left over for her daughter to have a matching one. 

ANNND here in lies the problem with this pattern. In addition to doing some things the hard way...the code appears to be wrong. Note that it says pattern side down on the grey block. 

Here's what it's supposed to look like. 

Now, following the pictures, it would have me put the rick rack on the wrong side of the fabric. 

But the instructions say "outside"...who says "outside"? It's "right side" or "wrong side", not "outside". CONFUSING. 

So, I went with the pictures, because saying "outside" made it seem like the instructions were wrong and surely there would be another step right? 

Wrong. As you can tell by this picture, the pictures are wrong. The grey square is the "right side", which should read "pattern side up" and the white is the "wrong side". GRR....At least in the next instruction they switch back to more common terminology of "right side" "wrong side".

Here's the back of the finished apron. Took about 2 hours, give or take 30 minutes. I had to stop for dinner/Desperate Housewives. (Seriously, why would you live on Wisteria Lane, everyone seems to die prematurely there? )

And the finished apron. I'm not sure it's quite what I had envisioned, but it's still kind of cute. And if my sister doesn't like it, I will glare at her menacingly. Afterall, it cost her nothing. My version will be the blue fabric with green polka dots for the contrast. I do wish the rick rack was correct though on the pockets and that there was more than one pack of hot pink bias tape at Hancock's. The pale pink only looks really good at the top but would be better if it didn't blend in with the rest. 

So, just remember...don't necessarily follow the pictures. Not all of them were wrong, but at least some of them were. And the cotton I made it out of actually feels thin for an apron. I'm not sure if it said cotton was okay on the pattern or not, just an observation. But, it will make it nice and washable, which is pretty much the point of an apron.