Tips on making spread cloths?

I am considering making some spread cloths from a dark blue velvet I bought and would like to get some tips on how to make them!

Especially if anyone has great instructions for a spread cloth that folds nicely and has a pouch for the deck and ribbons so you can make a nifty lil package out of it, I'd be thrilled!

And in any case, I need tips on how to sew the sides of the fabric by hand so it won't come apart. Also, which sizes do you recommend, especially for Medieval Scapini and mini RWS?

Wont velvet show the creases and folds too easily? Especially with a lot of use?

You should make a spread cloth large enough to be able to contain the largest spread you think you will use. In the USA most velvet is about 44 inches across - which is really big! Something that finishes about 36 inches square is more than large enough to make a cloth.

A few years back there was a pattern for a lap quilt that had a pocket sewn in so that you folded it all up and it was a pillow to put on your sofa, yet you could unfold the quilt 'out' of the pocket for lap use. It was a terriffic idea! Along these same lines - if you made a pocket large enough to hold the deck - taking the size and thickness into consideration - it could be sewn into one corner of the cloth. {The pocket of the lap quilt was sewn into the center of one of the edges. You folded the quilt in thirds the long way, then in quarters the other way and tucked it into the pocket. the lap quilt was 3 feet by 4 feet and the pocket was 14 inches square if you are looking for proportions since the pocket had to be large enough for the bulk of the quilt.}

Hope this helps rather than confuses you!

That would be a lot of bulk, folded up, but velvet has a nice look to it. Just keep cat/dog fur away from it.

I'd roll the hems, that's where you turn the edge under, then under again (1/4" each time) and hand stitch it down. The alternative, though the stuff isn't very soft, is to use double fold bias tape, or maybe that binding they use on blankets, that's got a silky feel to it but it's very wide. Easiest would be the rolled hems.

Lots of people use a silk for the spreadcloth because it's very thin and compresses to a small size. I have also seen a quilt block done in cotton used for a spread cloth, with blanket edging.

Any fabric would pretty much work, the whole purpose of a spread cloth is to provide a clean surface to lay the cards out on.