Article: If you want to make your fabric a particular size, place the vinyl over an object that’s as large as you want it to be. If you’re stretching vinyl out for a specific reason, such as to reupholster a piece of furniture, place the fabric on top of the object in question. If you’d like, you can place your vinyl over the object in question before heating it up. To stretch out your vinyl, grab 1 end of the fabric with your fingers and slowly pull it toward yourself. If you’re working with firm 2-way vinyl, feel free to use a lot of force while pulling. If you’re stretching thin 4-way vinyl, pull carefully to avoid tearing the fabric. If necessary, hold the other side of the vinyl down with a bar clamp or ask a friend to keep it in place. As your vinyl stretches, it may develop small, unappealing wrinkles. To remove these, simply press down on the fabric with your fingers and smooth them out. If you’re stretching the vinyl over a specific object, make sure to press out any creases or air bubbles that form. Over time, your vinyl will cool down and become harder to manipulate. If this happens while you’re stretching it out, grab your heat gun and run it over the material again. Do not press your heat gun to the vinyl fabric. If you do, you may damage the vinyl itself as well as the material underneath. If your vinyl starts to overstretch, make small incisions along the edges of the fabric with a pair of scissors or a precision knife. This will give you the ability to pull on 1 portion of the fabric without affecting the other parts.  Only use this technique on pieces of fabric where the edges won’t be visible, such as vinyl upholstery. If you’re pulling the vinyl around an object with curves, you may need to cut the fabric to help it better fit the object’s shape. If you’re using your vinyl to reupholster an object, you’ll need to secure the material to keep it from peeling off. To do so, pull the fabric as tight as you can and hold it down to the object. Then, use a staple gun to shoot staples into the vinyl fabric.  Place staples between 1 and 2 in (2.5 and 5.1 cm) apart around the entire perimeter of the object. When finished, you should have a long line of evenly spaced staples. If necessary, ask a friend to hold the fabric down or use a bar clamp to keep it in place while you staple it.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Place your vinyl over the object you're upholstering, if applicable. Stretch the vinyl between your hands. Press down on the fabric to remove wrinkles. Apply additional heat if the fabric stops stretching. Make non-visible cuts along the edges of the fabric if you overstretch it. Secure the fabric with staples if necessary.
Article: Once you have learned how to calculate your net carb intake you need to actually track how much you are consuming to make sure you stick to the Atkins plan. There are a number of different techniques and technologies that can help you to do this. One good option is to download a carb counting app onto your smartphone.  It has the advantages of being portable and something you keep with you all day. Depending on the app you can also track other nutritional information. It will do some of the calculations for you and give you a clear and up-to-date count of your net carb consumption. Another digital option is to download a tracker onto your PC or laptop. Like the app this will do a lot of the calculating for you and is likely to contain a variety of other features to help you monitor what you eat more fully. Using one of these programs can often help you to gain a fuller picture of your diet. Unlike a smartphone app, it is not something you will carry around with you all day, so you won’t be able to keep it completely up-to-date during the day. A nice low tech version is simply to write down your net carb intake by hand as you go through the day. You could buy a special notebook and keep it with you. Jotting down your progress can be a good way to really take ownership of your diet plan and have a sense of achievement as you stick to it.  You won’t get as much analysis and extra information if you write it down yourself. But it could be nice to look back through the notebook after you have completed the diet to remind yourself of your progress.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Consider using a mobile app. Try a digital tracker on your computer. Write out your count by hand.
Article: When you are writing about subjects like darkness, sadness, loneliness, and death, it can be hard not to fall into cliches and familiar language. A cliche is a description that has been so overused it has lost its meaning. Many readers will gloss over a cliche and/or question the poet’s creativity when they come across a cliche. Avoid leaning on cliches in your writing and focus on creating more unique and unfamiliar ways of approaching darkness.  Try to stay away from cliches like “dark as night”, “lost and alone” or “so lonesome I could cry”. Come up with more original descriptions and images in your poem, especially when you are addressing dark themes and elements. One way you can address cliches in your writing is to go over your poem and look for any familiar terms or phrases. You should then underline them and focus on replacing certain words or replacing the phrase so it is less familiar and feels more original. Make sure you are using sensory detail in your poem, as this will make the poem come alive and contain descriptions that are memorable. Think about how a moment looks, sounds, tastes, smells, or feels. Use all five senses to create detailed moments in your poem. For example, maybe you are writing a poem about your grandfather’s death. You may focus on the smell of the white lilies at his grave or the gray, thin appearance of your grandfather in his casket. You may also describe the food you ate at his wake and the feeling of holding your grandmother’s hand at the funeral. Literary devices like metaphor, simile, and rhyme can help to strengthen the language in your poem and add depth to your writing. Try to use literary devices strategically, especially in a shorter poem. Every line should not be full of metaphors or similes only. You should vary up how you use these literary devices so your poem still flows well and does not seem wordy or long-winded.  For example, you may use a metaphor to describe the loneliness of standing in the girl’s bathroom at school. You may write, “The stalls are blank eyes in the face of this room”. Or, you may use a simile to describe the look and smell of the bathroom. You may write, “The floor is as slick as the surface of a lake” and “The sinks smell like rotten eggs”. Some poets, such as Rossetti in “Song”, also use rhyme in their dark poetry. Rhyme can be useful for adding some levity and lightness to a poem about heavy, dark subject matter. But it can also make your poem sound too sing-songy and silly. Use rhyme sparingly. Once you have written your first draft, you should read your poem out loud to yourself or to a sympathetic audience. Listen for any awkward phrases or words and highlight them. Ask the listener for feedback on your writing.  You should also pay attention to any images that are confusing or lines that are not as strong as they could be. Make sure you are not using cliches in your writing. Your poem should use unfamiliar and interesting images and descriptions that are true to your style and voice. You should go back and edit the poem for clarity once you have read it out loud. Adjust any problem phrases or words you identified and make sure you are using strong, interesting language throughout the poem.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Avoid cliches. Add sensory detail. Use literary devices. Read your poem out loud.