INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Even traveling locally can help expand your understanding of how geography has shaped the world. For example, if you visit a historic town nearby, you may learn at a museum or visitor's center just which geographical features enticed the town leaders to build there. When you are traveling to other places, you can learn about agriculture and which kinds of crops and fruits are grown in season. Regular correspondence with a friend living overseas can expand your knowledge beyond what you can learn from books.

SUMMARY: Travel. Get an email pal or pen pal.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Cut the fabric and hem it like you normally would, then flip it over. Measure up 8 to 12 in (20 to 30 cm) from the bottom of the blind and mark the spot with a fabric marker. Do this 4 more times, spacing the marks out evenly along the length of the blind. These spaces will allow the blind to fold up when it’s on the wall, so keep the spaces nice and even.  Measure the length of the blind first if you need to in order to space the marks evenly. You could make room for an extra dowel if your blind is very long or remove one if it is short. You can leave extra space on the top of the blind. It doesn’t have to be the exact same size as the other spaces you measured since that part will be used to hang the blind. Measure the distance between the left and right hem on the fabric, then begin cutting strips to the same length. Use fabric lining to make sturdier pockets, although regular fabric is fine too if you have some to spare. You will need a strip for each dowel. Cut them about 2 in (5.1 cm)-wide for pockets that fit most dowels. You can adjust the size of the pockets as needed to fit the dowels you plan on using. A 2 in (5.1 cm)-wide pocket  is generally fine, although you could get the dowels ahead of time and adjust for them. The easiest way to make the pockets is with long pieces of hemming tape. Set the tape on the fabric strips and use an iron to get them to stick. Then, spread the strips out along the width of the blind according to the marks you made. Work carefully to iron the long edges of the fabric, leaving the shorter ends open to form the pockets.  You could also stitch each strip to the fabric. It works better if you backed the fabric with lining since that prevents the stitching from showing on the front side of the blind. If you attached a liner to the back of the fabric, try turning the blind inside out. Secure the strips and dowels, then turn the blind inside-out to hide them. Get 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) wood dowels that are the same length as the pockets you made. Simply slide a dowel into each of the pockets to create the support system for your blind. The dowels are a simple, easy way to string up custom blinds. Keep them well-hidden in the pockets so they don’t mess up the overall appearance of your new blind.  If you’re not a big fan of sewing, you could glue wooden strips to the back of the blind. You don’t even need to iron on pockets if you don’t want them, although they are still useful for hiding the supports. Most craft stores sell dowels and the other supplies to finish the blinds. Check online if you can’t find what you need. the blinds over the window using wood or a headrail. If you don’t have a headrail from another set of blinds, install a wood header above the window. Get a 1 in × 2 in (2.5 cm × 5.1 cm) piece of wood that spans across the window. Then, install it in place with some 2 in (5.1 cm) drywall screws. Add the screws about every 12 in (30 cm) across the center of the wood.  This installation is meant for outside-mounted blinds. For inside-mounts, attach a small wood board to the upper edge of the window frame if it will support it. Remember to attach the board to the support beams in the wall for stability. The weight of the blinds could cause it to fall off if it isn’t firmly anchored to the wall. Wrap the top edge of the blind over the board you installed. That will wrap about 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) of fabric over the board. Then, use a staple gun to easily secure the fabric to the wood. Space the staples out about every 2 in (5.1 cm) to keep the blind well-secured whenever you need to roll it up. Another way to do this is by making a hem by rolling a board in the fabric. Glue it in place, then screw the board to the wall. You won’t need to add a separate board to hang the blind. Position the eye screws about 2 in (5.1 cm) from the ends of the wood board. Twist them clockwise by hand until they’re all the way into the wood. Then, position an extra eye screw directly in the center of the wood. It will be an even distance from the other screws. You could add more screws for extra stability if you think you will need them to support large or heavy blinds. Try spacing the screws out evenly, such as 10 in (25 cm) apart from one another. The eye screws serve as a way to string up the blinds, but you need to add them to each individual dowel or slat. Keep the eye screws level with the ones you installed on the headrail. It’s slow work, but get them all set up so your blind rises and falls with the smoothness of any store-bought one.  Turn these eye screws so the heads are positioned horizontally. That means the openings face the top and bottom of the blind so you are able to run cords through them. Another option is to sew plastic rings onto the dowel pockets you made. If you hid the pockets inside the lining of the blind, you will need to add rings this way to string up the blinds. You will need to cut a separate length of cord for each column of eye screws you set up. Run the cord from the top of the blind to the bottom, knotting it on the bottom eye screw. Keep in mind that the cords need to be about 1 1⁄2 in (3.8 cm) times longer than the blinds, although this will vary depending on how you mount them. When you’re done, cut the excess length off.  Run all of the cords through the top eye screws and to the right. The cord on the left will go through all of the eye screws you have there. Let the cords hang from the side of the blind or install an extra eye screw beneath the headrail to hold them. The length of cord you need will depend on the length of your blinds and how long you want the pull cord to be. If you’re unsure, keep the cords long at first and cut away the excess later. You can buy replacement pull cords or a cord roll. Check online or at hardware stores. A metal cleat is like a wall rack for the cord to keep blinds positioned where you want them. It will come with the screws you need to attach it to the wall. Put it to the right of the blinds, keeping it near the headrail. Then, tie all of the cords together to create a pull cord that fits in the cleat. When you need to reposition the blinds, take the pull cord out of the cleat. When you’re done, put the cord back to hold the blinds still.

SUMMARY:
Mark spots to place wood dowels to hang up the blind. Cut strips of fabric to make pockets for the dowels. Tape the fabric strips to the blind fabric to form the pockets. Insert dowels into all of the pockets you created. Install Staple the blind against the top of the board. Attach eye screws to the underside of the wood. Position eye screws through each dowel on the blinds. Tie cords through each column of eye screws to lift the blinds. Hang a metal cleat on the wall to hold the pull cord.