Sleeve bands on Simplicity 1540

I put the sleeve bands on Simplicity 1540. Some construction changes I made:

• I believe the instructions would have you interface the entire band. That would be unnecessarily stiff, IMO. I interfaced a little more than half the width, so that the outer layer, the fold, and a small amount of the inner layer is interfaced.
• The outside of the band is seamed to the sleeve. The inside is held on by the topstitching. I pressed the sleeve/band seam open, folded the band in half to match its raw edge with that of the pressed-up sleeve seam allowance, and temporarily whipstitched the edges together to prevent them from shifting during the topstitching.

I'm glad I narrowed the bands to the smallest size; they would have fit even had they been a couple inches narrower, although I think they're an acceptable coat width at this size. The length is fine, which suggests to me that others might find it short. Given the fabric I used, this is not a warm enough coat that I'd be likely to wear it with gloves. If that were the case, I'd want the sleeves longer. They do bunch up more than I'd really like, though not more than I'd expect of one-piece unlined sleeves.

Now that that's done, I'm considering the fit again. The side seams could probably stand to be taken in in the waist and hip area, possibly all the way down to the hem. I'm also considering adding shoulder pads, though that's iffy since the coat is unlined (I'd have to make them of self-fabric).

I'm no longer so sure that the princess darts need to be extended downward, but I am very sure that the pockets need to be placed lower. My marks were raised by the significant waist-length shortening I did, but as my arms evidently aren't at all short as far as the pattern's concerned, it's unsurprising that those marks are now much too high.