I sure wish I had been a member here and asked for advice before I made my first potholders. I had put 2 layers of batting inside, but that's not nearly as good a heat protector as are types like insulbrite.
I like to do a pocket on the front. You can put your hand in like a glove, or put a recipe in it before you wrap it up to give as a gift. If it's to be a gift, I always select the fabric to appeal to the receiver, and the pocket can either be the primary print or an accent.