Hi Deirdre,
Getting an even crumb coat takes a bit of practice, so don't fret if the first time (or second even!) doesn't go perfectly. Here's a link to our video with Melanie from our Test Kitchen: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/videos/baking-skills/how-to-frost-layers-crumb-coat

Some other tips would be to use a soft pastry brush to gently sweep off extra crumbs from the sides of the cake before coating and wiping the spatula often to remove frosting that has picked up crumbs (you'll see in the video how Mel keeps her spatula on the frosting and away from the actual cake). I often try to freeze my cake layers overnight before slicing and crumb coating, it really helps keep the cake sturdy and reduces the crumbs.  Hope this helps!

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