update
Well, I ironed all the velvet with no problems. Got it all cut up. Started sewing it to the backing fabric. It does need a lot of pinning, it is very slippery. Here is the first panel, she also wanted me to add in some brocade, which is almost too pretty to cut up!
The colors are better than what the pic shows, my cheapo camera does not like bright sunshine.
I think this will go fairly quickly, I sure do miss having a big sewing room with space to spread everything out though.