littlecrow

Littlecrow Project: Thaw Collective!

2010-06-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

We have been invited to participate in the first ever Thaw Collective Indie Kids Fashion Show... that sure is a lot of words... this July 10th.... Lot's to do to get ready. Bunch of fun ideas are being laid out on some random scraps of paper, who knows it might actually make some sense when it is all said and done.

Stay tuned for more on the idea building process and the actual building of the goods, even a few sneak peaks at the finished goods, if your good and eat your broccoli, I like broccoli it's yummy....

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& the Littlecrow Family.

Get The Rust Out.

2009-07-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since 'Mr.Ray' Busted out the 'ol shears and chopped up a nice men's necktie to be built into a kids adjustable necktie.
Well, this weekend 'Mrs.P' went out garage sale hopping and came across a few good specimens that needed to have a little TLC and a breath of new life blown into them. So let's follow along as 'Mr.Ray' does just that.

The Goods in question.

Split them open and pull out the insides.

Lay out a new pattern and snip snip.

Pin it up and give it a nice stitch'n.

Wrap the new cut n' sewn pieces together.

A nice 'New' necktie for the wee ones.

Oh and don't forget the label.
All done...

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& the Littlecrow Family.

Weekend Deals.

2009-06-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we packed ourselves in the 'ol truck and headed out to find treasures and man did we do a mighty fine job!
Here are a few of what we were able to score doing a little rummaging through a few garage sales here in the Pacific North West.
Two plastic yard toy's with slides ...
and a nice bike trailer for the boys.
All and all we only spent about $30! Now that is a deal, for sure, since most of these items cost over a $100 brand new!

Hope your weekend was good and your week is even better.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& the Littlecrow Family.

Kids Alright.

2009-05-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

I have been away from working on.... well even doing anything with Littlecrow as we have been trying to get settled into our new home, new job, and just a whole new environment here in the Pacific Northwest of these here United States. I do hope that once the dust settles to ramp up and clean off the ol machines and start building the many ideas that have been flooding the idea pond.

While doing the regular internet searching and keeping touch came upon a nice feature over at A Time To Get about Trico Field. Now these are some well designed childrens wear for sure. Check out their site here. And if you get a chance jump over to A Time To Get and drop and post up a comment or to on his well done blog.

Be back soon, promise.
Till then.
Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& the Littlecrow family

Slow & Steady Keeps You in The Race.

2009-03-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Yes the light is still on.
It has been quite a long time since our last post here at 'The Littlecrow Collection' and we do apologize for the lack of updates. It seams that 'Mr.Ray' has been kept very busy away from us here because he is in the process of building up his other work to try and convince the powers that be at a large 'Corprate' apparel company in the Pacific Northwest that he is the man for them and they need him as their designer. This will be a great blessing for him and our family as it will give us a chance to settle down into our own place again as well as have a little more expendible income that will help us in supporting our endevers here. The only big down side of full time employment is it will take more time away from building our goods here....
Please if any of you are left out there who check our posts here keep us in your prayers, or thoughts, or whatever you do to wish people well. Thank you from all of us. And once a decision has been made and we get settled into a good routine again we promis to stay on top of the posting here as well as producing and building heaps more goods.
Cheers & Best Regards,
'Mr.Ray'
& the 'Littlecrow' Family

New Cutting.

2009-02-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

Working on building new ties for the shop. Check back soon.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family

Tools: Pattern Making.

2009-02-09T20:32:00.001-08:00

Have been working on a few new ideas as of late and it involves building new patterns and testing them out by sewing samples out of cheep fabric, in our case muslin. Since the building of things need and use tools thought it would be fun to share with you the tools that are used in building patterns and samples. So here we go:
(a) Tailors Shears: used to cut out the fabric for the samples. "Mr.Ray" loves these shears.
(b) Pattern Shears: used to cut the pattern out of the pattern paper. These "Mr.Ray" got while attending fashion design school.
(c) Clear Tape: used for all sorts of things but in this case mostly to hold cut pieces together when correcting or changing the paper pattern.
(d) Razor Blade: used for detailed cutting and to rip seams of samples when they need to be take apart for corrections or changes. "Mr.Ray" learned to use blades to rip seams and remove buttons when he was working in the alterations department at a department store. Very helpful.
(e) Drafting Mechanical Pencil: used to draw out the pattern shape on paper and to sketch out ideas and designs when they come. This one has a great balanced weight to it, makes drawing even more fun.
(f) Red Felt Tipped Marker: used to make corrections and final lines on the pattern paper.
(g) An Awl: used to make marking holes in the pattern and to help "walk" the pattern pieces, such as the arm hole and sleeve, to make sure they will work before cutting out the pieces in fabric.
(h) French Curve: used to make nice smooth arcs and curves, like armholes and neck openings. Very handy little tool.
(i) Hip Curve Ruler: used like the french curve to make curves but more for things like hip shapes and other gradual curves.
(j) Clear Plastic Ruler, 2"Wide x 18"Length: this is very handy and used all of the time for taking measurements and cause it is clear it has so many more functions that are very helpful.
(k)Yard Stick: long and straight lines come from the use of this handy tool.

Hope you enjoyed a little insight into what is used to make a pattern by hand.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& the Littlecrow Family.

Lace 'M Up Tight.

2009-01-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

'Mrs.P' and 'Mr.Ray' have been looking to get their young one a new pair of footwear and are having a ruff time at finding something reasonable to their likes and needs. So being the way 'Mr.Ray' is, he decided to give a go at building an ankle boot style for their little 'Stampede'. Since he is older and running all over the place 'Mr.Ray' wanted to build something a bit more stable that the amazing little kicks that 'Mrs.P' has been building.
Here is a small overview of the first sample stages and what goes into building something new from scratch...

Rough sketch...
Now he needs to take that sketch and hack out a pattern. This is the hard part...

Now he has a pattern. He now cuts out the pieces for a sample in cheep fabric. Here the 'upper' is sewn together...
First sample roughed out. We use this to test fit and to get an idea of what the final is going to look like. If we do not like what we see or something is wrong in the fit then he goes back to the pattern and remakes it. So far so good...
Now to get out the leather and see what we can do.
Will keep you posted on the process and building of a final sample so check back soon.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family

Shop.

2009-01-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

Check it out Here.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family.

Keep em on Their Feet.

2009-01-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

One of the projects brewing here at Lc headquarters, that we plan to explore, is the building of footwear. 'Mrs.P' took an idea she come up with and with the help of 'Ol' Mrs.White' built a great pair of 'crib shoes'.

They are made from soft 100% cotton micro brushed herringbone twill. Super soft yet nice and durable.
These are great.
More to come later.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family.

If it is Broke...

2009-01-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

As mentioned a while ago we have moved and have been settling into our new place out in the country. As you settle it sometimes takes a while to get into the grove of things and get back into following plans and checklists and whatnot. Well we have started to do just that with the 'Littlecrow Collection', building and sewing and creating in our new space. When all of the sudden the trusty little White home machine,'Ol' Mrs.White', decided she was not feeling well and so stopped working in the middle of stitching. This is not good when what you are doing uses this very tool to complete and build. So 'Mr.Ray' sat down with her and removed a few screws here and there opened her up and with a few 'love taps' with a hammer on some parts, a nice brush off of old lint build up, and a few sips of oil in all her moving parts she is back on the boat working away as smooth as the day she came into his life.

Now when all this happened and she was out of work for a few hours 'Mrs.P' went to use one of those fancy new sewing machines that her sister has with all the computer controls and self threading options. It got us all thinking, maybe it is time to look into one for our operation. I mean the automatic button hole stitch is a mighty fine feature to say the least..... Though that would be nice, 'Mr.Ray' could not just pop her open give some love and nurse it back to health if a situation arose. The fancy computer operated machines we have today all have to be taken into a specialist to get fixed up.

Needless to say we are back and running and even with the thought of one day getting a "fancy button hole maker" the ol' white machine will continue to be one of our work horses. Got to love the things you start with when you are young. God bless 'Ol' Mrs.White'.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family

Comming Soon.

2009-01-12T23:37:00.001-08:00

We will keep you posted on our new online shop opening soon... This week even!

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'

A New Journey.

2009-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well we have made our move. We must apologize for not posting for quite sometime. A lot has come and pass for us. We are now settling in to our new place. We promise to begin to posting on a regular basis. We have a lot in the works and a lot that is going to happen very soon. So check back often as we start down this exciting path.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family

Relocation.

2008-11-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

So once again we have been away from the updates. Well we are moving, relocating to not only another town but a whole other state. So for the next two weeks we will be packing up the place and will have to put all our focus on the move. But we have a lot of ideas that will be coming with the new place and the new year! Check back for updates soon.

Cheers,
'Mr.Ray'
& The Littlecrow Family

All Button'd Up.

2008-11-21T16:30:00.001-08:00

Have been away for a long while. I have been working on a side project to support the family as this collection of goods is still growing and not yet to a place were it is the only provider. (Soon, I hope) Unfortunately the project I was building had been put on hold via the powers that be. So now I have all the time of the day to refocus and make this happen.

Before the above mentioned project came into our life we had just finished our first woven shirt sample. A 100% cotton, size 2T woven shirt.

Front view.

Inside neck label detail.

Bottom hem label detail.

Back view.

Split back yoke.

Well, since there is no more distractions on my side of things we hope to begin production very soon. We can not wait to get these out into the market.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Our first Neckwear Samples.

2008-10-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

Our first batch of tie samples are almost complete. Just waiting on our order of clips that will be used for the closure around the neck.

We are building our ties using Wool, Cotton, and Polyester. Simple basic and fun while being durable. We will also be offering styles re-built from vintage men's neckwear. 'Mr.Ray' is so excited!

Our neckwear are available in two sizes 0-18 Months and 18M-4T. We created them to be worn on more than just 'nice' occasions. They can stand up to any ruff housing a little guy can put them through. In the construction we have used reinforced stitching and use of bartacks through out. They are also washable*. We suggest hand washing because it is gentler but they can be thrown in the ol' machine but then always line dry.

Our neckwear will be available soon. Will update and let you know when.

'make it fun'
Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

*Note: that some ties will be wool and though they can be washed it must be in cold water. There may be some shrinkage and twisting after washing but that just adds to the caricature and life of the piece. We believe that if you are going to spend your hard earned cash on children's clothing that they should be able to be themselves while wearing it and you should not have to worry about it. Our wool ties may actually be sold already washed. We are testing a few out and will let you know the best way we have found before we will sell them in the shop. We want all our ties to be able to be washed cause children+clothing=dirty clothes. FUN!

Cut of the Cloth.

2008-10-30T00:16:00.001-07:00

Have started cutting and building shirts. Should have actual goods soon. Very exciting! More later.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Hang Tag By Hand.

2008-10-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

'Mr.Ray' is a strong believer in doing what it takes to get it done. He follows the ol' pioneer saying of "fix it up, wear it out, make do or do without." Being a small 'mom n' pop' start up apparel company, when it comes to the labels and hang tag for 'The Littlecrow Collection' he takes the approach of making do. Instead of spending heaps of unavailable funds on developing labels and hang tags for our garments, not to mention the time and hassle of finding a reliable and cheep vendor to make them, he instead has figured out ways to make do with what he has at hand. keeping with the handmade aesthetics these too are all hand made or hand finished. We hope that it is the extra care in focusing on the little touches and small details that will set 'Littlecrow' apart from others.

We start with cutting 'oak tag' (manila card stock paper used in pattern making) into us letter size (8 1/2"x11") With the tag layout already drawn and worked over on the computer we then printing both sides out on our simple little ink jet printer. After we hand cut each piece. Then when each piece is cut it is individually hand punched to allow for a piece of tea dyed string (yep, a cup of black tea and soak the string for a while then set in the sun to dry) to loop through that is used for the 'hanging' part of a hang tag... get it? hang tag, it hangs and is a tag...

Anyway. after that it is 'distressed and ruffed up for that nice 'aged' look that is part of the feel of littlecrow. Here is the back view of the tag. And as you can also see, we use a paper clip witch is used to attach the tag to the garment or item.

Yes each paperclip is hand made as well. I know a little over the top... 'Mr.Ray' has purchased large quantities of paperclips and tags from the office supply shop but he just does not feel it is the right look, too clean, too perfect, missing caricature. So he makes his own.

There you have it. We hope that in some way this might be an inspiration to you to make do with what you have and look at how simple things around you can become so much more with a little imagination and a drop or two of elbow grease to make it happen. Remember 'make it fun'.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Labels.

2008-10-26T14:57:00.003-07:00

We have been working on getting our label package created and all the details worked out. Here is a view of the layout we are using to print the labels. It shows what we have built so far as a layout for the main label, size and care instructions.

It is coming together and we are very excited to see how it is going to turn out. We hope you like the finished products and the look and feel that we are trying to build.

Will share more of the labels on the actual items when they are complete.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

A Class of Insperation.

2008-10-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before 'Mr. Ray's' grandfather is the main inspiration for the next coming seasons. Recently while digging around in a few of the image artifacts of his we came upon some old photographs of his grandfathers school classes. They are not dated so we are not sure what years they are. We are thinking sometime in the late 1920's or 1930's. So much fun!

The top one is of an older class, while the ones shown below are probably 1st or 2nd grade. This one is one of much excitement and inspiration! So we wanted to show you a few close ups. Love the mix of dressing up yet still being a child in 'work wear' such as the young fella on the lower left who has a white shirt and tie with his overalls. Or the little bow ties. This is something that is lost today, especially on children. Why do they not get dressed up? Why not put on a tie? Yes they may muck it up but that is why it needs to be washable.

Anyway we hope you enjoy. Maybe your grand parents have old fotos of their childhood, or even your parents that may inspire a new look to try on yourself. You never know what fun things you might discover in old family fotos and some of the stories that come with them.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Our Little 'Rabbit'.

2008-10-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today we wanted to share with you a little bit about our pet 'rabbit', Oswald. He is not like most rabbits in that he his not a rabbit at all but a large hole punch that kind of looks like a rabbit. Now Oswald does not really do much but sit around, in fact he only does one thing, but the one thing he does he is really really good at doing. He punches holes! Not just any holes but special holes. These special holes are used by pattern hooks and it is these hooks that hold the patterns that are used to make clothing and keep them nice and neat and well organized. We love Oswald.
We are not quite sure what you would actually call this industrial type hole punch if you were to go out and try and find one for your own. My guess is that you could just call it a 'rabbit punch' or maybe 'rabbit ear punch' and if they had one they would know what you are talking about. Did a little google search and did not come up with much but did find it here and here. Oddly enough that is what everyone we know in the 'industry' call them.

What kind of pet(s) do you have? Tell us about them.

Well back to work.
And remember 'make it fun'
Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Look'n Back to go Forward.

2008-10-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been very busy here at Littlecrow. We have been researching ideas for the coming seasons, Spring/Summer '009 as well as Autumn/Winter '009. Research has to be 'Mr.Ray's' favorite part of design. It is a chance to start fresh with a blank page and just start adding whatever comes to mind or catches the eye. As it builds you start to find a thread that runs through it all and a feeling that just feels right, like a favorite jumper on a chilly night.

The page is starting to be filled but it is not there yet, still a work in progress at this point especially for Autumn/Winter '009 so we will keep sharing more of the 'drawing' as it happens.

As mentioned over at Redcrow 'Mr. Ray' loves to work on building plaids. Here are a few that he did for inspiration and a guide for what he wants to look for for Autumn/Winter '009. While working for a large corporation he was able to build plaids like these and actually have them made by a fabric mill, but since The Littlecrow Collection is a very small 'home grown' clothier he has to find fabric that is already made to use for the collection. But he has a few ideas that he might try to make some fabric special and only available from us.... Autumn/Winter '009 is still a long time out so we shall have to wait and see. One 'thread' that is running through all of the '009 seasons is very special and close to 'Mr. Ray' It is his Grandfather Mr. G. Andersen. 'Mr.Ray's' Grandparents passed away when he was very young, only a few years old, so he did not get the chance to really know them. But he loves them from the stories that have been told about them and the lives that they lived. Here is some images and a hint of the main inspiration for Spring / Summer '009
'Mr.Ray's' Grandfather joined the U.S. Navy, during WWII, and was training to be an airman. He was blessed to not have to fight because the War ended before he graduated Officer Training and was then Honorably Discharged.

We love history and are very influenced by the details of the past for our designs. But Family history is even more special because it brings that past to life and a great way to find out more about ourselves by learning of those in our family who lived before us. What a great place to find inspiration. If you do not know anything about your own family history start by asking your parents and Grandparents about their childhoods and what things they liked to do when they were young. You might discover something fun to try or do that we don't do much today.

Make it fun.
Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Helpers

2008-10-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

As the development of ideas are coming together I find that not only are the little cubs the main inspiration but they are very active in making it all come together.

'Little Stampede' at the machines

'Screaming Eagle' working the shirt pattern.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

In the Morning.

2008-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Some people are morning people and some are not. I think that I am 'middle' morning person. when the alarm is sounding hitting snooze a million times is my way of waking up. It use to drive Mama Bear mad crazy when I did this and the bed was against the wall cause I would hit her to hit snooze.... *Sorry*.
Anyway, I hate getting up, so not morning person. But once I am up and at the breakfast table or in the shower my mind perks up and I get all excited about the day or a new idea pops in the 'ol thinker and I am full of energy, a morning person. Actually now that I think of it I would be more of an 'almost morning person' in that not only once the mind is going I am rearing to go but I love early morning light and the crisp morning air that is something I just love. It really is inspirational to me. What kind of person do you think you are?

I thought I would share the morning with you.
Alarm goes off at 5:55am and I hit snooze till about 6:30am or so. Then out of bed I roll. I use to them jump in the tub and awake with the splash of water but lately been doing a brisk morning walk so that now comes after the walk. Down the stairs I head for a bowl of yum and a little 'spiritual food' with some scripture reading to start my day off right. Then I plan my day while it is still just me awake in the morning silence.
At around 8am I am joined by my little buddy 'Grizzly Stampede'. We get food in him and when the rest of the gang is up we go out for the brisk walk and the day is off doing it's thing after that.

I know not real exciting but it has become a special part of my day that I actually look forward to. When I had a 'normal' job I missed a lot cause it was more of a rush to get up and out and then I was really not a 'morning person'.

So look over your day and the routines that you do and ask yourself 'why do I do that' and you might just find a small part of joy that you normally just take for granted.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The Littlecrow Family

Tie 1st Sample.

2008-10-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

As we begin work on The Littlecrow Collection we have decided to start building the collection with ties and woven shirts. The reason we decided to go with a focus on ties is that we can not find ties for the little ones in out life except around Christmas and Easter. Being that we attend church once a week and dress in our 'Sunday Best' we feel that it is important to dress our boys to look their best as well and that includes a tie. So feeling a miss we decided to start here.

Recently we completed the first sample of the tie. The ties have an adjustable neck and will be available in two sizes that will cover a range for the little ones. 0-18month and 18-4T. With the size range, like most children's clothing it may be a little big to start out but they will fit sooner than you think. They also are constructed to be washable, which is a must have since all of our young cubs seam to have a constant drip from their mouth.

Our production will begin soon so keep checking back for updates.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The littlecrow Family.

Once You Start...

2008-08-31T23:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, we are at it again. New ideas, well, not really just smaller ideas.
A smaller version of redcrow quality goods. I am so excited. I hope to share with all out there the process of building this line and the inspiration behind the ideas and designs. Enjoy.

Cheers,
Mr. Ray &
The littlecrow Family.