INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can hand appliqué almost anything: jeans, pillows, blankets, quilts, shirts, fabric purses—the list goes on and on. Pick a color or pattern for each part, and then wash the fabrics (unless they come pre-washed) before you cut them. Washing the fabrics beforehand will prevent any unfortunate shrinkage from happening in the future. The worst thing would be to finish your beautiful project only to have all or part of it shrink in the wash and become misshapen! This is a great way for you to express your creativity and make something unique if you so desire. Hearts, stars, flowers, leaves, animals, letters, birds, and other images can really personalize an item. You can find images online that you can print off to use if you don't want to draw them yourself. One benefit of drawing your own image is that you can make it as simple or as complex as you'd like, and you can also make it the perfect size for your specific project. Quilter's plastic or heavy-duty plastic template sheets are perfect for this task. Be as careful and precise as you can when tracing the image and cutting it out, as this is the template you'll use to trace the image onto the actual appliqué and background fabric.  You may be wondering why you can't just trace the appliqué image directly onto the fabric itself. Using a thicker plastic template will ensure that the image is perfectly copied—a thin piece of paper could easily get wrinkled or misshapen as you try to hold it in place and trace around it. You can find all the supplies you need at your local craft store or online. Use a chalk pencil or an erasable marker for this process so that your trace lines will disappear. Otherwise, your lines might permanently be visible through the fabric. If you want to make multiple copies of the same image, go ahead and prep as many of them as you will need. Just make sure to leave about 1⁄4 in (0.64 cm) between the edges of each image. Leave about 1⁄8 in (0.32 cm) around the border of the image for your seam allowance. Try your best to cut in a straight line along the edge so it's as neat as possible. It's okay if there are some ragged edges when you're done. The seam allowance will be folded underneath the actual appliqué image and won't be visible when you're finished.

SUMMARY: Pick out fabrics for the appliqué and the background and wash them. Choose a design for your project or draw one yourself. Copy your appliqué image onto a sheet of plastic and cut it out. Trace the plastic template onto your appliqué fabric. Cut out the pattern from the appliqué fabric along with a seam allowance.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A good business proposal should provide a succinct/detailed explanation of what your business idea is, your market research, potential marketing strategies, the cost of implementing the proposal and a pricing strategy. Divide your business plan into the following separate sections:  An executive summary that concisely outlines your business plan. Communicate the ultimate purpose of your business proposal. Market analysis for the industry your proposal is geared towards. Provide reasons for why your business proposal should be successful given both unique and specific market considerations. Strategy and implementation plans for executing your business proposal. Financial plans and projections regarding the cost of implementing the business proposal, as well as possible profit projections if the business plan is a success. Many good business ideas fail to gain support because the person reading the proposal didn't understand what they were reading. Explain everything in your proposal as if you were presenting it to someone with no previous knowledge in the field. Useful graphs, illustrations of promotions, prototypes, etc., as well as a good, easy-to-read document layout will all make a good impression and look more professional. Consider getting your proposal professionally bound, and always print in color if you have charts and diagrams. Be prepared to give verbal presentations in support of your proposal. A fresh set of eyes will often pick up errors and omissions that a writer misses. Ask a business professional you trust to review your business plan for anything that they themselves would have included in the plan. After this review consider which suggestions such be integrated into your business proposal draft.     Having a trusted business professional look at your business proposal draft could also lead to additional business mentoring/guidance and maybe even financial assistance for implementing your business plan.

SUMMARY: Create a completed draft of your business proposal. Consider your reader, and never assume they have relevant previous knowledge. Make sure your business proposal is purposefully presented. Have the draft proposal independently reviewed.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Anxiety is one of the most common causes of sleep talking, so reducing your stress levels during the day might be enough to put a stop to your late-night monologues. There are multiple ways to reduce stress in your daily waking life. Removing causes of stress often helps, but when that isn't possible, learn practices to help relax your mind and body. Meditation, yoga, and regular massages are a few such options. Moderate physical activity can help regulate your mind and body. Try walking at a brisk pace for 15 to 20 minutes each day. Schedule these walks for the morning, late afternoon, or early evening. Avoid exercising shortly before bed, however. Cardiovascular exercise, in particular, stimulates your circulation and may make you feel more awake for a brief period of time. For that reason, you should exercise no later than one to two hours before your intended bedtime. Spend more of your waking hours in natural, indirect sunlight. Try to soak in at least six to eight hours of daylight on a daily basis. By getting more sunlight during the day, you can help your brain associate “light” with “wakefulness” and “dark” with “sleep.” After several weeks of increased daylight, you may notice yourself feeling more awake during the day and more tired when it's time to sleep. This could lead to deeper, more relaxed sleep, which typically involves less sleep talking.

SUMMARY:
Minimize emotional stress. Exercise during the day. Regulate your light intake.