Delia Marsh

The elastic at the waist is the single most useful thing in this list. It turns a vague sack into a garment with a reference line and everything becomes readable.

Had not thought about whether the lid comes apart. Half the reason I replaced the last one was that it started smelling and I could not get inside the lid to clean it.

Choose the size by your high bust, so the 12, and do a full bust adjustment of the difference. Do not size up.

The reason is that a pattern size is really a shoulder and neck and armhole size with a bust attached. Going up a size adds to the neckline, shoulder width, armhole depth and back width, none of which you need, and you end up with a neckline that slides off and armholes you cannot fill. Then you take those in and undo everything you gained.

Your difference is 10cm, which sits around a D cup in most drafting systems and is squarely FBA territory. It is one of the easier pattern alterations and there are only four lines: from the armhole notch to the bust point, from the bust point into the waist dart, from the bust point down to the hem, and a horizontal one across to the centre front.

On fabric: an FBA on a 12 uses less than a straight 14 or 16, so it also helps with your 2.2 metres.

The gape is excess length along the neckline edge, not excess width across the chest, which is why taking it in at the shoulder does almost nothing. You have to remove the length and put it somewhere else.

On the body, in the toile: pin out the gape as a horizontal tuck running from the neckline edge toward the bust point, about 1cm on each side, until the edge lies flat. Note where the tuck naturally wants to sit.

On the pattern: draw a line from the middle of the gaping section to the bust point, and a second line from the bust point into the existing dart. Slash both, overlap the neckline lines by the amount you pinned out, and the dart opens up by the same amount. Total width across the chest is unchanged, the neckline is now shorter, the extra is in the dart where it belongs.

Also cut your stay tape about 3 percent shorter than the neckline and ease the fabric onto it. That last bit alone fixes a small gape and it takes two minutes.

Your armhole is too low, not too small. This is the most counterintuitive thing in sleeve fitting and it catches everyone.

When the underarm point sits low, the fabric under your arm is joined to the side seam of the bodice. Lift your arm and there is nowhere for that join to go, so it drags the whole bodice up with it. Raise the underarm and the pivot point moves closer to your actual shoulder joint, and the bodice stays put.

Scoop the armhole up 1 to 1.5cm at the underarm, taper it back to nothing at the notches, and take the same amount off the side seam so the bodice is not now baggy under the arm. Then re measure the armhole and true the sleeve cap so the cap ease stays where it was, usually somewhere between 2 and 4cm total for a woven.

Many commercial patterns cut a deliberately low, generous armhole because it fits more bodies with no complaints when the arms are down. It also means nobody can lift their arms.

Pulling up relaxed everything and the pooling disappeared, so short rise it is. Thank you both.

If you want to buy differently next time, the word to look for is worsted rather than woollen. Worsted yarn is combed so the fibres run parallel and the short ones are removed, which is exactly what makes it resist pilling. It also feels smoother and less fluffy in the shop, which people sometimes read as cheaper. Two ply is better than single. None of that helps your current coat, but it changes what you pick up next time.