Ted, My lovely Bride made mine for me as I am downright dangerous with sharp things like needles and scissors. It has three thicknesses; two of black clothe one white 4'x5' for my 8x10. It works just fine and we can modify it any number of ways to suit the need. If velcro works for you then by all means use it. I like snaps since velcro can pick up debris(I shoot outdoors alot)but that is matter of personal preference. A black sweatshirt sounds like a great route to go with 4x5, but might get a little claustrophobic with an 8x10 ground glass in there with you. If you"re going to get a tailor to knock one out for you have it made larger that you think you'll need , you can always cut it down if it is too unwieldy and see if you can get something called 60/40 clothe. They used to make parka shells out of it BG(before Gortex) Its a cotton blend with synthetic. The idea is that the cotton fibers swell when wet keeping moisture (Rain) out while the synthetic keeps the whole thing from becoming a soggy mess, and it breathes. You miight be able to find it at REI. Lead wieghts in the corners , IMHO, is a bad idea. Good luck!
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