By Duchess Francine Co

These boys made history today! 

8 first time to compete internationally

6 with less than a year of paddling experience

3 started at the age of nine as part of the grassroots program of PCKF.

1 was discovered when seen harvesting "kang-kong" near the PCKF docksite in Taytay. 

These kids are the future of our sport.

I am so proud of them!

Congrats! 

Flatlocking compared to cover stitching and overlocking
by Kathleen Fasanella

While everyone’s away at Market -some designers say the technical stuff I write makes their eyes glaze over but then that’s how I feel when they start talking about marketing or fashion in general so that makes us even- we’re going to talk more about our favorite subjects, sewing and patterns. Yeah! Today specifically, the topic is flat lock machines. Flatlock, without a space is also correct, you get different results with both in internet searches. If you don’t know, we all covet flatlock machines, yes we do. Everybody wants one -whether they need one or not, not mentioning any names. From the forum:

Can someone tell me what the difference between flat-lock/flatseam construction and a serge seam with coverstitch? I am going for the type of seam you would find on technical base layers (brand names redacted).

I’m not familiar with these brands but my performance running tights have flatlock seams. As to the difference:

A coverstitch is basically 2 or 3 needle bobbin-less top stitching that provides some elasticity. It doesn’t have to be used on an overlocked (serged) seam but usually is. The back side of the seam forms a ladder pattern or similar configuration joining the lines of stitching to and fro. This is similar to the effect you’d get on a home sewing machine with a double needle. The latter differs from a true double needle because these have two bobbins so their lines of stitching are not joined on the back side from side to side. Below is a drawing of a coverstitch seam on the left with photos of an overlock on the right (courtesy). There are various models, this one attaches ribbing and coverstitches in one pass. For this reason we also covet coverstitch machines, perhaps more than flatlocks.
 
A flatlock is different in several respects. Unlike an overlock, there are no layers to the underside, the seam is butted together (usually, exceptions). On a flatlock, there is no seam allowance with layers folding to the underside. Think of it this way, in the application you’re describing there is no seam allowance per se because the cut edges of fabric are butted against each other and joined flat in a single layer with thread. The flatlock stitching on the top and bottom joins the two butted pieces. Below is a photo of a flatlock seam (courtesy).

(For more technical details about stitch types, see the Stitch Matrix)

My contractor does not have a Flat-lock machine, but can’t you get the same effect by doing a serge seam and then go over the top with a 5 thread coverstitch? I have technical base layer wear and I have my own samples with serge/coverstitch and I am not seeing much of a difference.

The seam of the overlock/coverstitch as compared to flatlock is thicker because it has layers of fabric. First you serge a seam meaning there’s two layers of fabric the width of seam allowance on the underside. Then that is top stitched down with the cover stitch or if you’re attaching binding it’s done in one pass but there’s still extra layers there from the allowances. There’s a lot of thread concealing this on the underside which kinds of cushions and flattens it. However, the flatlock while also with lots of threads, has no seam allowance layers turned to the underside because the cut edges are butted against each other.

I want to get into some technical stuff, but I hear that a flat-lock machine goes for more than $30k.

Flat locks are definitely pricier than the average machine but I’ve heard price quotes closer to $3K-$4K, a tenth that price. Just this morning, JC showed me a site selling used Union Specials for $1,850. They also have a few Wilson & Gibbs flatlocks going for $500 but I think the price tells you all you need to know. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

What would be the drawbacks of just going with serge/coverstitch or is that the same darn thing as flat-lock seams?

Flatlocking is used primarily for performance goods, it has fewer layers to chafe. It depends on what you want to do. If you’re running a marathon, you definitely want tights with a flatlock. An overlocked coverstitched seam, while it won’t pull apart, will chafe along your legs and cause bleeding. There’s other uses too; if you’re making apparel for children with sensory challenges, a flatlock seam is more comfortable. An overlock may or may not bother children (or even adults) depending on thread type but in active wear, you’d only use overlocking on seams of garments intended for light training.

There are many who think that if they hire a great graphic designer to create their logo and website, that they would have established a great brand; until reality sinks in.

A brand is so much more than a logo or design element that visually represents your business. A brand is your story, what you represent, and your values that spark an emotion within your customer. In order to establish not only a brand, but a GREAT brand, it is important that you learn and understand “what great brands do.”

I was extremely happy to come across this book as I am always open to exploring the wonderful world of branding and learning strategies that focuses on brand building. What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate The Best From The Rest was written by Denise Lee Yohn, and she does a phenomenal job at identifying these principles with tons of real-life examples. Within the book, she reveals the following principles.

Great Brands Start Inside

Great brands focus on the culture of their internal environment. In order to assist customers and get their buy-in on your product or services, all employees must be on board with the company’s mission. Mrs. Yohn states:

“Great brands use culture building to educate - to help employees understand what a brand is and why it’s important. They use it to define - to explain what the brand stands for and how it is differentiating. They use it to activate – to help people understand their own impact on brand perceptions and therefore what is expected of them.”

Great Brands Avoid Selling Products

Instead, they sell an emotion, an experience, or a solution to a problem. But products is something a great brand does not sell. Mrs. Yohn did a great job at describing how Nike never sold not one of their products, but rather, sold an emotion that motivated their customer to “Just Do It.”

She also goes into greater detail on how marketers can learn a lot about their customer by using anthropological methods to conduct thorough research on the behavior of their target market. I found this particular section of great value because small businesses tend to focus on their own beliefs as to how their product will benefit their customer, rather than looking to the customer to provide that information for them.

Great Brands Ignore Trends

They focus on connecting with the larger culture in terms that are relevant to their brand and what it stands for. Yohn points out how following trends is extremely risky and doesn’t really set you apart from your competitors. By following trends, a business is operating on someone else’s timeline, and not their own.

Yohn goes on to identify strategies that a business can utilize to monitor trends, but not to follow them.

Great Brands Don’t Chase Customers

They create a brand that attracts their specific market. When you think of brands such as Trader Joe’s or Lululemon which she uses as an example in the book, these brands do nothing but show certainty about who they are and their customers respond naturally by patronizing their store.

That sets the expectation, and their customer follows.

Great Brands Sweat the Small Stuff

Not many businesses think to experience their brand like a customer. Yohn speaks on how great brands will sweat the small stuff such as the aroma in a coffee shop, or allowing customers to try out products in-store such as REI.

These items are small, but they have a huge effect on the customer experience that is extremely influential to their purchasing decision.

Great Brands Commit and Stay Committed

Yohn goes into great detail within this section on how to identify your core idealogy and committing to never steer away from it. She states:

“If your brand defines your company, if your brand is your business, then your brand is rightly the sole focus of your organization.”

Great Brands Never Have to “Give Back”

I was eager to get to this principle to fully understand why great brands never have to give back. I agree with Yohn in that the term “giving back” suggests that you’ve taken something that you now have to give back in order to balance out your karma. If you’re a great brand, there’s no karma to even consider. Yohn then proceeds to explain that:

“Great brands have no need to “give back” to society in the form of charitable contributions because they employ a more integrated approach, as they do in all aspects of their business. Great brands give value for themselves and others through the inner workings of their operations.”

Yohn then goes on to provide great examples of this principle by detailing how IKEA continuously improves people’s lives just by focusing on their core of design and operating with low prices. She also mentions LYFE Kitchen, a fast food change with a bold social vision of healthy food produced sustainably. Many businesses may have the urge to “give back,” but it’s important to know that great brands never give back because their core value focuses on providing value to all.

Overall, this book comes highly recommended by me as it was hard to write this review without giving away too much information. Small businesses would find great value in this book that not only comes with principles that great brands have adopted, but implementation strategies that we all could use in our own business.

Why settle on being simply a brand – when you could become a great one.

The post Be Great by Learning “What Great Brands Do” appeared first on Small Business Trends.

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Small business owners fret over what their logo looks like. They want it to be clean, cool or fancy. What they should really focus on is how it makes a customer feel since logos play a large role in their purchasing decisions.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that children as young as two years old could recall a logo and its product 67% of the time. By eight, 100% of children tested could associate the logo with the product.

Brand logos are valuable property because they evoke emotions connected with buying. For the first time in the history of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report, Apple was the top brand. Google jumped to number 2 and Coca-Cola, the brand that held the number one position for 13 years was number three. The total value of all 100 Best Global Brands was $1.5 trillion with the Google brand logo being worth over $100 billion alone.

According to a new research at FinancesOnline, colors evoke a specific emotional response from a customer. This is important since 75% of all buying decision are emotional. Here are what specific colors mean.

Emotional Responses to Colors
Red
Active, passionate, trustful, love, and intensity. Think Coca-Cola and Target. Red Bull wants customers to see their brand as intense and active.

Yellow
Energy and joy. Think Ferrari, Shell and Best Buy. McDonalds wants customers to associate their brand with happiness.

Orange
Creative, determined, joyful and the beach. It can stimulate mental activity. Think Fanta and Firefox. The Home Depot wants to help its customers be creative in the Do-It-Yourself market of home construction and repair.

Pink
Often associated with feminine brands. It means love, warmth, sexuality and nurturing. Think Barbie and T-Mobile. Oprah’s Oxygen network is aimed at women.

Blue
Depth, stability, calm, trust, comfort, and reliability. Think Samsung, IBM, Intel, GE and Ford. When a customer buys from Nextiva, they know that their office communications will always be reliably delivered.

Green
Relaxing, peaceful, hopeful and natural. Think Starbucks and BP. Heineken beer wants their customers to feel exactly this way.

Brown
Associated with the Earth. It means reliability, support, dependability and grounded. Think Godiva Chocolate and M&Ms (at least the brown ones). UPS has become synonymous with this type of consistent reliability.

Black
Formal, mystery, bold, luxurious and serious. Think Blackberry. Customers shop at Tiffany’s for that special occasion.

A logo should not just be “pretty or cool.” Determine what feeling you want your brand to evoke and then choose your colors wisely.

This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here.

Color Photo via Shutterstock

The post What Emotional Responses To Colors Do People Experience? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Sponsored Post

Small business owners fret over what their logo looks like. They want it to be clean, cool or fancy. What they should really focus on is how it makes a customer feel since logos play a large role in their purchasing decisions.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that children as young as two years old could recall a logo and its product 67% of the time. By eight, 100% of children tested could associate the logo with the product.

Brand logos are valuable property because they evoke emotions connected with buying. For the first time in the history of Interbrand’s Best Global Brands report, Apple was the top brand. Google jumped to number 2 and Coca-Cola, the brand that held the number one position for 13 years was number three. The total value of all 100 Best Global Brands was $1.5 trillion with the Google brand logo being worth over $100 billion alone.

According to a new research at FinancesOnline, colors evoke a specific emotional response from a customer. This is important since 75% of all buying decision are emotional. Here are what specific colors mean.

Emotional Responses to Colors
Red
Active, passionate, trustful, love, and intensity. Think Coca-Cola and Target. Red Bull wants customers to see their brand as intense and active.

Yellow
Energy and joy. Think Ferrari, Shell and Best Buy. McDonalds wants customers to associate their brand with happiness.

Orange
Creative, determined, joyful and the beach. It can stimulate mental activity. Think Fanta and Firefox. The Home Depot wants to help its customers be creative in the Do-It-Yourself market of home construction and repair.

Pink
Often associated with feminine brands. It means love, warmth, sexuality and nurturing. Think Barbie and T-Mobile. Oprah’s Oxygen network is aimed at women.

Blue
Depth, stability, calm, trust, comfort, and reliability. Think Samsung, IBM, Intel, GE and Ford. When a customer buys from Nextiva, they know that their office communications will always be reliably delivered.

Green
Relaxing, peaceful, hopeful and natural. Think Starbucks and BP. Heineken beer wants their customers to feel exactly this way.

Brown
Associated with the Earth. It means reliability, support, dependability and grounded. Think Godiva Chocolate and M&Ms (at least the brown ones). UPS has become synonymous with this type of consistent reliability.

Black
Formal, mystery, bold, luxurious and serious. Think Blackberry. Customers shop at Tiffany’s for that special occasion.

A logo should not just be “pretty or cool.” Determine what feeling you want your brand to evoke and then choose your colors wisely.

This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here.

Color Photo via Shutterstock

The post What Emotional Responses To Colors Do People Experience? appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Here is a list of the top 10 most popular sports, as listed on the mostpopularsports.net website. The website author notes that this list takes into account the population of countries and are based on general surveys/discussions on the internet. This is the same sport order as several other lists found online. The source of the fan numbers is unknown.Soccer is clearly the most popular sport in terms of fans. The FIFA World Cup held every four years has a huge TV audience - over 30 billion people watched the 2006 World Cup in Germany (I know that's more than the world's population, this figure is an 'accumulated' audience, meaning if people watched more than one game, which most people did, they were counted each time).On the same website, there are top sports lists for each country, based on the estimated number of fans using a very interesting method to measure popularity. The lists are based on the results of website visitor traffic analysis (using the Alexa traffic rank) of over 300 sports websites, which reflect which sports the internet users in the particular country are most interested in. Regional popularity gives an insight into where the fan base is located around the world. See also

Australia.reference: http://www.mostpopularsports.net/

From www.swimoutlet.com

Rash guards come in various styles, thicknesses, and fabrics depending on their purpose. Rash guards are used for a number of ocean sports, but the most popular is surfing. This brief guide covers the different types of rash guards and how to choose one specific to your needs. 

What is a Rash Guard? 

The primary purpose of a rash guard is to provide warmth, sun protection, and rash protection. They can be worn under a wetsuit for rash protection and additional warmth, or by themselves (without a wetsuit) in warmer weather. They are also used with modest swimwear and as additional top coverage. Most are made of spandex, nylon, polyester, or neoprene. Every rash guard provides at least some UV protection (even if not specifically stated). 

Thermal Rash Guards

Thermal rash guards provide some extra warmth in cold water. Choose a thermal rash guard when you're planning on being in chilly water for an extended period of time. Thermal rash guards are commonly used for aqua aerobics and ocean sports (in water that is too warm for a wetsuit, but too cold for bare skin). Aside from the word "thermal," look for "thermo" in the title of the product. These terms means that it is made of thick, insulating fabric. Thermal means the rash guard is made for warmth. Neoprene is the most common fabric used for warmth. The "mm" designates the thickness of the material in millimeters. Choose a higher thickness for extra warmth. If there are two numbers, such as 3/2mm, the first number refers to the thickness in the torso and the second refers to the thickness in the sides and/or limbs.

Rash Guards for General Sun Protection

Choose a general purpose rash guard for sun protection or surfing. While surfing, the rash guard can be worn alone (to protect skin from a surfboard rash), or under a wetsuit (to protect skin from wetsuit irritation). Some information on rash guards in general: Regular rash guards are lightweight and are made to fit tight/snug. If you want a looser fitting rash guard, purchase a size up, or just get a surf shirt (outlined below). General rash guard styles come in both short sleeve and long sleeve cuts. The short sleeve designs provide more freedom of movement, while the long sleeve designs provide additional support and protection. Boardshort connectors attach the rash guard to shorts to prevent it from riding up. 

Surf Tees & Shirts

Surf tees and surf shirts are used primarily for sun protection. These are very lightweight, and unlike regular rash guards, are loose fitting. Surf tees should be worn as a regular shirt; they are too loose for surfing. 

Rash Guard Vests

Choose a vest for additional warmth in ocean sports. These can be used alone, or under a wetsuit. The lack of sleeves provides more mobility in the shoulders, which has obvious advantages for any athletic activity. Vests add an extra layer of warmth for the core (but not enough warm for cold-water use). Materials dictate the best use for an individual vest: LYCRA™ vests are similar to general rash guards (but obviously without sleeves). If the rash guard vest is made for thermoregulation (warmth) it will have an "mm" in the title. 

Full-body Rash Guards


Full-body rash guards are made of the same materials and have the same fit as a rash guard, but have the cut of a full-body wetsuit. They are used for a number of ocean sports, either alone or under a wetsuit. Sports that commonly use full-body rash guards are: Canoeing, kayaking, wake boarding, water skiing, windsurfing, kite surfing, and surfing. The downside of these suits is that they can sometimes restrict freedom of movement. 

Many Rash Guards, Many Uses

There are different rash guards with cuts specifically for men, women, and children. Children's rash guard sets are commonly used for sun protection, and are called "sun suits." Men's and women's rash guards are often used for water aerobics and ocean sports. So whether your need is warmth, sun protection, rash protection, or sport specific, you shouldn't have a problem finding a rash guard that is perfect for your needs.

Read more at: http://www.swimoutlet.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-rash-guard/