Let's Slip Into Something A Bit More Comfortable.

Sick of paying prices that are way too high for what feels like flimsy fabric? Tired of not knowing where else to turn for super trendy, super comfy clothes? We have the answers!

At Planet Bella they believe in a living a healthy lifestyle while minimizing their impact on the environment.
They provide natural, organic food and drink to staff members as well as having a gym available for use. Aside from that they have a solar powered head quarters, use green office supplies, have started using only natural cleaning products and even have a hybrid company car. Purchasing Bella is something you can really feel good about because they support the world around you.

Eco-Friendly Fashion

But what about the garments? You can feel safe choosing Bella for the quality.
They have over 10 years of experience manufacturing women's clothing for the leading retailers in the world and this expertise has been the platform for the Bella line.
In producing for these top retailers they had to meet the highest and most stringent of quality standards. They wanted only the softest yarns, the highest standards of sewing construction, the longest wear-ability and most importantly, the best fit.
This dedication to quality, consistency and striving to be best has led Bella to become the #1 supplier of ladies clothing in the industry.


Or don't go with Bella just because they are the #1 supplier of ladies clothing in the industry. Go with them for the color, sizing and style.

The Bella color story has evolved with a focus on what women want to wear. Extensive color research and unique formulas guarantee that each Bella color is appealing to women, but most importantly when worn, makes women feel beautiful. And don't forget, Bella is the first women's line that has more than three sizes available in their line. Bella has created a line with a true women's fit in mind. They applied years of retail experience and used the same sizing guidelines of high-end retail stores to achieve the perfect fit.

One of the many things about Bella that separates itself from competitors is the styling. When they develop the styling for each piece, their design team operates under the motto of "Stylish... not trendy." We believe that style transcends time, whereas trends are here today, gone tomorrow.

But what about the boys? No worries there. They are covered. And Bella has added baby clothes too! Now you can get that same super soft combed ring-spun cotton you love and feel good in! For all of the basic Bella styles, the largest yarn gauge used is 30 single, where the industry standard is a much thicker 18 single.That's why you always feel so great when you put Bella on!

So, get Bella for the girls, get it for the for the boys and the babies. You can chose Bella because they are a top vendor of women's clothing or because of all the Eco and earth friendly reasons listed above. Or you can simply make the choice to use Bella because you know you are getting a strong, soft, stylish item that everyone will feel good in and about having. And for anyone still sitting up on the fence, the prices are lower the industry standard has so far been. Now that should help you make the leap!

For more information about Bella visit www.bella.com.

The Swirl's the Limit!

There really is almost no limit to the options available in the thread world. We just want to take a moment to open your eyes to a few of them that you may not have heard of so far.

Did you know that you can get metallic threads for your embroidery job? These threads mix well with any other threads and can add just a hint of glimmer or you could consider doing an entire design with them. This thread makes it entirely possible for you to make your logo stand out in a crowd.

At API we use Robison-Anton Rayon threads including for our metallic embroidery. This thread lets you add vivid detail to your designs - it glitters, it shines, it really completes your project! It is excellent for embroidery, embellishments and other decorative stitching, Robison-Anton Metallic thread runs well in all machines and looks great next to all Robison-Anton embroidery threads.

This thread is a 260 Denier metallic, which is approximately the same as regular 40 weight embroidery thread. When we run these designs for you we slow down our machines to help avoid any thread breakage. Please keep this mind when ordering. 

So you've tried metallic thread? Well what about swirl? You can create truly unique and visually appealing designs with this thread.
Sparkle Swirl embroidery thread is an interesting new specialty thread from Robison-Anton, consisting of one metallic color (either Gold or Silver), "swirled" with a solid Rayon thread. Together, the two colors give your embroidery designs a special sparkle and pop that's sure to get noticed! Each 40-weight Mini-King spool contains 500 yards of high-quality Robison-Anton Rayon embroidery thread.

With thread this this we can't send you a proof that is true to form before we begin production. What we can do is send you a proof of your design and once you approve, we can run a sew out to make sure the design will look as good as you want it too. They help create a beautiful gradient and something so visually appealing that everyone else will want to do it too!

These two tricks will keep you ahead of your competition as you send your logo out into the world. People will notice the extra care and have a greater appreciation for something so original!

Cartoon? Try Arvtoon!

We have been honored and proud to add someone to our staff most respected in the art world. From seasoned talent to published comic books, Tom Arvis brings much to the table. He allows API to offer even more artistic variety and flare. We encourage you to read an article written by Mike Rhode and posted on the Washington City Paper web site 02/28/2011. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel compelled to eat red meat. Enjoy! Q.What type of comic work or cartooning do you do? A.Mostly comic books, my Mom used to say I started drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil, and I filled dozens of spiral notebooks with my own comic book stories and characters since I was eight, but I've earned my living as a professional Graphic Designer/Illustrator since 1980 when I sold my first t-shirt illustration for $10. Prior to that I also had a humor comic strip called "Roommates" that ran in the JMU newspaper, The Breeze, from '78-'82, two semesters after I'd graduated, and was featured in the 1980 yearbook. Since 1980 I've worked full-time, part-time and/or have freelanced for such clients as Geico, (the old) MCI, The EPA, The Learning Tree, Nat'l Wildlife Foundation, Cluck-U Chicken, 7-Eleven, I could go on and on-- However, I've always struggled to get steady work, or any work really, in the comic business. After getting tired of submitting and getting rejected by the powers that be,  over and over again, in 1995 I decided to just create and publish my own line of small press books, and I've been doing so ever since, as well as working full-time and freelancing. Q.How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination? A. I have a band of tiny elves that-- actually I do the pencils and inks by hand, then scan and computer color my pages in PhotoShop, then I create the lettering ,and balloons in Freehand 10 (which I prefer to Illustrator), often actually scripting the story from outlines and notes at this point. Then I paste the finished word balloons onto the page back in PhotoShop, and save those as JPEGs, PDF's or TIFs, for further use. Q. When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born? A. I was born in 1956 in Bluefield, WV. But my family moved around a lot between Virginia, North Carolina and back to West Virginia. By the time we settled down in Waynesboro, VA (in the Shenandoah Valley) in 1968, I'd been to 10 different grade schools in 5 years. I'd usually draw a picture of "Popeye" on the blackboard my first day to make friends, which worked until about 5th grade, when it would just got me beat up. Q. Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in? A. I live in Randolph Hills, between Kensington, MD and Bethesda, MD, but it's a Rockville address. My wife and I moved up to DC from the Valley in 1982, after we'd both graduated JMU in Harrisonburg, VA . There basically was little or no work for Graphic Designers, illustrators or much less comic book artists in Harrisonburg. We've lived and worked in the DC/Metro area ever since, raising my son, Joe, who's currently a senior back at JMU. My wife grew up in Silver Spring. Q. What is your training and/or education in cartooning? A. Pretty much all self-taught. I took a few art classes in high school and college, but my degree was in Journalism, which is also where the "Roommates" comic strip comes back in. I ended up doing more art directing, illustrating and designing for The Breeze, than I did writing. Right after graduating, I went to work for the only Ad Agency in Harrisonburg at the time, before moving to DC and getting work designing ads for a PennySaver-type tabloid called The Marketplace, which used to be in Fairfax, VA. But I did spend years learning and honing my art skills on my own through studying classic art and illustration books, as well as comics, and doing literally thousands of commercial storyboards. Q. Who are your influences? A. Off hand- classically, Michelangelo, Leonardo Davinci, Van Gogh- personal- hero wise, Jonny Carson, John Lennon, Bill Shatner, Adam West, Tom Jones, all four Monkees, my Mom, my Dad, my Grandad, my Grandma- comic-book-wise, Carmine Infantino, Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, Nick Cardy, Gene Colan, Jim Steranko, Joe Kubert, Alex Toth, Jim Starlin, Mike Sekowski, Barry Smith, and all the old Disney, Bugs Bunny, Popeye, anything Hanna Barbera or Chuck Jones, basically all the stuff that was around when I was a kid. I don't claim that you'll see these guys in my work, but they're my influences. Q. If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? A. I always regretted not heading to California to become an animator after college, but then I would never have met my wife or had my son, so that's a pointless regret. If I could change things though, I'd like to be able to support myself doing comics, or having one of my ideas made into a movie perhaps...? Q. You've told me you used to a comic book called Cowboys vs Aliens which has nothing to do with this year's feature film, also based on a comic book. Can you tell us the background about that? A. I thought you'd never ask. "Cowboys & Aliens" was the original name of the first comic-book I self-published in 1995. It was only a 16-page black & white ashcan, which I wrote, drew, xeroxed and stapled together myself, and sold nearly 100 copies of at the 1995 Small Press Expo in Bethesda. I had an offer to publish the book as a full-sized black and white from another publisher and attendee, but by the time we were ready to publish, the bottom had fallen out of the B&W independent comic book "glut" of the time and there were no longer the funds, so I shelved the comic (though I had written six issues and drawn two) and moved on to other ideas, until 1998 when I posted a colorized version of the ashcan's cover on my website, http://www.arvtoon.com/, with the intention of re-publishing the book myself, full-size and in color, based the then-burgeoning, on-demand, and on-line and inexspensive comic printing business. In 2002 I had attended the Baltimore Comic Con and a friend and former attendee of the '95 SPXPO congratulated me on selling "Cowboys & Aliens" as a movie, which I had not. I didn't think of it as anything but a rumor, but by the time I'd finished re-drawing, lettering and coloring my book, and remembering the rumor, I decided to Google "Cowboys & Aliens". That's when I learned that Scott Rosenberg had trademarked the name "Cowboys & Aliens" in 1998, and that Platinum Studios was negotiating a movie deal with Sony Pictures, though they had yet to publish anything called "Cowboys & Aliens", and would not do so until 2006. In an endeavor to make an already long article shorter, after finding an attorney and contacting Mr. Rosenberg, and after a year and a half of negotiations, we were able to reach an agreement wherein I was paid a small amount to relinquish any claims to the title "Cowboys & Aliens", and to not bring any further suits against Platinum Studios or Mr. Rosenberg. In return I would change the name of my book to "Wayout West" and could continue with my plans to publish my story, without fear of legal retribution from Platinum. Platinum also agreed to publish another property of mine, which they never did. I realized what I was giving up, but it was take the offer or nothing. Mr. Rosenberg claims to have never seen my book, and I can't prove undeniably that he has. My own attorneys had advised me that I had no guarantee of winning a court case, and I didn't have the money to pay lawyers to take on the deep pockets of Platinum or much less Sony. So I accepted the lop-sided offer and still published the full-color version of "Wayout West- The ORIGINAL Sci-Fi Western" #1 in 2005, a year before Scott Rosenberg published "his" graphic novel, which he hired others to produce (write & draw). I can't prove or claim my story was stolen, and I officially can no longer make any claims of ownership or rights the title "Cowboys & Aliens". I, in turn, have intentionally never read Platinum's book, and I won't see the movie. I won't make a cent or get any sort of credit for the movie, but I'd like to get as many people as as possible, to read both stories, see the movie, and decide for yourself who created what. What I can claim and prove, undeniably, is which came FIRST. Since signing the agreement, I have published three issues of "Wayout West", though I still have no distributor, and have sold very few copies on my second web-site, www.sureshotcomics.com, at small shows and local comic shops. I've also recently released my own graphic novel, a 56-page book called "Mercenary Pig', available now on Amazon.com. And I plan on posting a 100-page trade paperback combining the first three issues of "Wayout West" on Amazon within the next couple of weeks. I'm also currently working on "Wayout West" #4, and hope to have that published early 2012, if not before, along with more "Mercenary Pig" and a few other surprises. Phew! Q. What work are you best-known for? A. Probably my son, Joe. My JMU alumni buddies would tell you "Roommates", and others might tell you "Cowboys & Aliens" aka "Wayout West", or currently "Mercenary Pig". I'll leave it for them to decide. Q. What work are you most proud of? A. Again, my son, Joe. After that, my marriage, and every one of my Sureshot Comics comics. Q. What would you like to do  or work on in the future? A. More comics. Movies would be nice, or animation. Q. What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block? A. I've never suffered writer's block. Right now I have more ideas on paper than I have time to draw. Q. What do you think will be the future of your field? A. Digital comics. Q. What's your favorite thing about DC? A. Everything you could want is minutes away, except it will take you hours to get there. Q. Least favorite? A. Three things; traffic, traffic, traffic, and did I mention, traffic? Q. What monument or museum do you take most out-of-town guests to? A. My basement, it's a monument to comics, music, and obsessive hoarding. Q. Do you have a website or blog? A. No but I'd like to add one to my Sureshot  web-site. If I had time and someone would show me how! You can check out more from Tom Arvis at http://arvtoon.com/ and http://www.sureshotcomics.com/.

Q What Codes? QR Codes. The next BIG thing.

Gaining momentum all over the world, these QR Codes can do virtually anything you want them to. Let's start with the basics. QR stands for Quick Response. These codes consist of black modules in a square shape just like the image above. It will be in front of a white back ground and it will contain encoded information that can appear as text, a URL, video and so much more! So let's say you go to Best Buy and see these codes on all the products (and you will!). Your smart phone should already have the technology in the form of an app. If it does not you can get it (and it's free!). Then you scan the QR code and it takes your phone where it wants you to go. Why should you care? You can now directly link your clients from anywhere in the world to your site! You can print your QR code on your business cards and users can get right to your latest and greatest information. Try generating special offers, discounts, and contests as well as directing them to additional useful information quickly and conveniently. Don't think you have to use these only in printed campaigns or emails. You can print these QR codes directly onto your apparel making your garments a fun, cool and modern way to advertise! All you are really doing is pasting your data or link into the application that will generate the code for you. Little effort, lots of pay off. Why not consider giving it a try?

Bling is so 2009

With what happened in our economy bling went out and saving was in. How do you catch and keep clients or even reward your staff? Give them back that little bit of luxury they gave up! Luxury means different things to different people but "no matter what the price is, people like luxury to be something that they wouldn't buy every day, but something they love and treasure, where they can enjoy the experience of what it is," said M.H. Bartzen, corporate sales manager for New York based Godiva Chocolatier Inc.


Think about the feel of luxury and modern style, think about uniqueness, top of the line items. If you don't get items that people would want to spend hard earned money on, any program you do will not reach it's full potential. These products are of superior quality
, they are services that offer a quality of uniqueness and exclusivity, they are valued by people who are admired and respected and these products and services make owners and prospective owners feel special. So what exactly is luxury? Most people reply "It's not something I would usually budget for to purchase for myself but something I would love to have or experience."


Even more important than the luxury itself is the experience of being rewarded. When you give something to a client or employee they will remember, and it makes them feel good. The simple fact is, if you are not rewarding your staff they are not performing at their highest potential. If you are not making clients feel good and important, they are not spending all their money with you. And let's not forget, happy employees always equate to happy customers.

We are in a time that utilizes "stealth wealth". The once popular shopping bags covered in LVLVLV are now plain black bags. People are budgeting for family camping trips and not flights to Aruba. An expensive night out is now a quiet evening in. Your job is to get it right. You should always offer varying items or services so that everyone feels the pull of motivation on their belts and the fire of competition under their bottoms. You wouldn't want to hand your vegan client a gift card to Ruth Chris. You wouldn't put a $25,000 men's Ebel watch in a program at Mary Kay. Think long term and reward those goals to obtain lasting success.

There are of course key ingredients to making something like this work all the time. First you need a clear objective. What is it exactly that you are trying to achieve? Make sure what you want is realistic, fair and consistent. Objectives and qualifications have to be clearly communicated to your targets. If training is needed you have to factor that in as well. Determine appropriate and desirable incentive opportunities. Your awards should be compelling and relevant to the participants and when people win them, the awards should be presented as soon after the achievement as possible. You will also want to maintain ongoing communications about the program and get feedback from whoever you are targeting. Analyze the results to improve the program.

If you can answer the following questions you should consider yourself ready to start your luxury program. Do they (your target) feel that the program will be worth it? How can people actually gain from this system? Is this something we have enough safeguards for, or can people cheat the system? And, ask yourself, do you think this program will be positive in moving ahead and improving performances?

You may also want to consider that you should add or create changes to the program to keep people's attention but too much will confuse people. One thing that gets people really excited about a new program is adding a short term achievement goal to kick start it. When the staff or clients are thinking to themselves "Can I really win anything," and then find themselves awarded suddenly it gets them excited. This excitement will lead to momentum, keeping them pumped and prepared to excel beyond the normal everyday habits. Try to avoid common mistakes such as thinking "one size fits all." Your program should reflect the culture around you, either with the company you work within or your clients. You should not rely only on incentive programs to keep people happy and performing at capacity and above all else, don’t try to do too many things at once. Keep it focused!
If you do all of these things your program will be a success. You will have happy employees, thrilled clients, excitement surrounding you and improvement all around.

Now let's talk about what you can to do to find your luxury. When you are ready to add luxurious items to your program at any price point you may want to consider the following suppliers:
Bose: www.bose.com/incentives
Canon: www.usa.canon.com/corporategifts
Citizen Watch Co: www.citizenwatch.com
Godiva: www.godiva.com/business
Mavado Group Inc: www.movadoincentives.com
Omaha Steaks: www.osincentives.com
Sony: www.sony.com/motivation
Steuben: www.steuben.com
Tumi: www.tumispecialmarkets.com

History of the World? No. The History of Embroidery? Yes.



Before computers were affordable, most embroidery was completed by "punching" designs on paper tape that then ran through a mechanical embroidery machine. One error could ruin an entire design, forcing the creator to start over. This is how the term "punching" came to be used in relation to digitizing embroidery designs. 

Melco (a manufacturer of embroidery machines) created the first embroidery sample head for use with large Schiffli looms. This sample head became the first computerized embroidery machine marketed to home sewers. The sample head was needed to avoid sewing out the sample for the Schiffli loom and taking up valuable production time. Schiffli looms spanned several feet across and produced, lace, patches and large embroidery patterns. The economic conditions of the Reagan Years, coupled with tax incentives of the day for in-home business, helped propel Melco to the top of the market. At the Show of the America's in 1980 Melco showed the Digitrac. The original digitized design was produced at 6 times the size it would eventually be sewn out. The Digitrac consisted of a small computer, similar in size to today's Blackberry Devices, mounted on an X and Y axis on a large white board. It sold for $30,000. The original sample head with one needle sold for $10,000 with a 1" paper-tape reader, and 2 fonts. The digitizer would mark common points of the design to create elaborate fill and satin stitch combinations.



We have improved upon the digitizing
process for year going from something
that worked a little like this....





Melco is the result of an international distribution network formed by Randal Melton and His partner Bill Childs. Melco patented the ability to sew circles with a satin stitch, arched lettering generated from a keyboard. An operator would "digitize" the design into the computer using similar techniques to "punching", to create a 1" paper tape, or later to a floppy disk. This design would then be run on the machine. The machine would stitch out the digitized design. Wilcom enhanced this technology in 1982 with the introduction of the first multi-user system that allowed more than one person to be working on a different part of the embroidery process, streamlining production times.








...to a more efficiant process like this.



Brother International got into the embroidery business as a result of being contracted by several computerized embroidery companies to provide sewing heads. Their sewing heads were mounted and branded on several different brands of computerized embroidery machines. Adler was also a common choice. Later Tajima, from Japan, provided sewing heads that were capable of using multiple threads. Singer failed to remain competitive during this time. Saurer and Wilcom, Tajima, Brother, began to innovate. The early functionality of the computerized commercial systems were adapted and marketed to compaines such as Janome for home use.

As costs have fallen for computers, software, and embroidery machines, computerized machine embroidery has grown in popularity since the late 1990s. Many machine manufacturers sell their own lines of embroidery patterns. In addition, many individuals and independent companies also sell embroidery designs, and there are free designs available on the internet. We have come a long way since then.



 

 



 

What's the Deal with Digitizing?

Did you know that Digitizing or digitization is the representation of an object, image, sound, document or a signal by a discrete set of its points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal. Strictly speaking, digitizing means simply capturing an analo...g signal in digital form. For a document the term means to trace the document image or capture the "corners" where the lines end or change direction.

What this amazing process means for us at API is that we take your ideas, your logos and your images and turn them into a file made up completely of stitches. Each line, letter, fragment and detail are stitches that have been carefully placed to create the most perfect finished product for you as possible. This means that we are able to provide the most beautiful embroidery in the industry which we are proud to do in our own facility.

The fact about digitizing is that most is done overseas and as quickly as possible. API considers ourselves lucky to have not only an in house digitizer but someone that has truly been able to turn digitizing into an art form.

 

Each project is safe in his more than capable hands. Under his guidance, we take the extra time needed to create something perfect that meets your expectations. We take pride in giving you something you can be proud of. Considering the type of product you want your logo to rest on, discussing its placement, your thoughts, and finally creating something perfect together, API is proud to work with our clients to help them realize their dreams and goals. And in turn, you help us realize ours every time you call on us to do what we do best.