Lisa, I'm drinking a cup of hot tea; thanks to your warning I decided to be cautious and set it down before looking at your pics. However, it was completely unnecessary. I think you did a great job, especially considering you don't have a darning foot. I don't have a darning foot or walking foot yet so I've been afraid to try any quilting. You're much braver than me.
I'm not aware of any quilting law that says you have to master stitch in the ditch before learning free motion quilting. Having said that, I'll add that I think I read in Diane Gaudynski's first book that she did nothing but straight and diagonal lines on her quilts for three years after she began quilting, before she tried free motion. My thought when I read that was that I'm getting into quilting late in life and I don't have three years to wait. I want to free motion now...well, soon.
I like both potholders, but especially the Sunbonnet Sue with the apples on the back. I'm a Sunbonnet Sue fan, too, and I love the greens.