thanks so much for all your answers. to get a better idea, you can see the piece on my website http://smaraki.com/palm-authority.html

any thought on silicon spays?

Sear the edges of the cut fabric. You do this by holding the edge taunt between your hands, keeping them about 6" apart, Have a taper candle (in a holder)on your table in front of you and run the fabric edge close to but not in the flame. This will melt just the edge of the fabric a tiny bit to keep it from fraying.