The Communique Layout

Popularized by Rhonda Dort, who uses the layout in her classes, the Communique Quilt Layout works for both featuring large fabric and panel pieces, as well as a basis for multiple block designs.

About Me

Welcome to Mouse in My Pocket! I'm Andrea, a web developer living in rural America with her husband and daughter. I'm excited to share my life with you as I explore some of the great things about living in the middle of nowhere.  Be sure to check out the blog below to see a few of the things that are speaking to me right now.

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On the Blog

Toy Organization Essentials for Tiny Humans

By Andrea | April 16, 2018

One thing I have discovered about tiny humans is that they love to get all the things out, but not put things back up.  Mildred is a great example of this.  She will be playing with a toy, and then become distracted by another, and another, leaving a trail of toys in her wake. That…

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Baby Ducks!

By Andrea | April 12, 2018

The baby ducks have arrived!  Yesterday morning, I picked up a box of ducklings from the post office. Yes, you can indeed get ducks by mail, which is super useful when you don’t live near a hatchery. Many local farm supply stores, such as Rural King, do carry chicks and other poultry in the spring,…

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Follow Friday – Houseful of Nicholes

By Andrea | April 6, 2018

Welcome to this month's Follow Friday post, where I'll be sharing with you one of my favorite blogs on the internet. This Follow Friday post, I want to introduce you to Houseful Of Nicholes.  This lifestyle blog, by Chicago native (and fabulous internet friend) Natasha focuses on topics that affect her family, like education, and…

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Happy Easter

By Andrea | April 3, 2018

I hope you had a super Easter this year.  Our little family did.  Mil & I went on an Easter Egg Hunt at my mom's church on Saturday, followed by dying eggs at my mom's house.  Mil hasn't quite figured out how to hunt for eggs, but all the grandmas and grandpas were happy to…

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A Baby Sized Communique Quilt Design

By Andrea | March 16, 2018

One of my lovely readers recently asked about making the Communique Quilt in a baby or crib sized version.  So, because I love creating layouts for quilts, I’ve come up with an altered version of the original throw pattern that is perfect for a baby quilt. For this design, I started with my original Communique…

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Mildred Jane at 1 Year!

By Andrea | March 12, 2018

Mildred Jane has officially made her 1st trip around the sun. She still has no hair, but her 3rd tooth just popped through, and it looks like she might be working on number 4. I made a simple little cake for her for her birthday. (I topped it with one of the puzzle pieces from…

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Coffee Talk – On Feminism & Appropriation

By Andrea | March 9, 2018

Barbie & Feminism International Women's Day was yesterday, and to celebrate, Barbie has released a line of dolls based on inspiring and historic women.  It's called the Role Models collection. I played with Barbie dolls when I was little.  That was back before they came in different sizes and skin tones. Heck, back then it…

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TBB Asks – Beauty Edition

By Andrea | March 5, 2018

Eyelash Curler? Yes. At least when I really and truly do my makeup.  Most days, I'm a lipstick only kind of gal. Favorite Nail Shade? I never wear nail polish because it won't stay on my nails.  They are weird and polish just peels off of them, but I'm a big fan of the traditional…

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Follow Friday – Living Outside the Stacks

By Andrea | March 2, 2018

Ages ago, when I first started this blog, I had a regular feature called "Follow Friday." It was my own spin on the #FollowFriday tag on Twitter where I would share a blog that I enjoyed reading. While I don't plan to do this every week, I do think it's time to bring the feature…

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Baby Shark

By Andrea | March 1, 2018

I'm a mom. Therefore this song is stuck in my head. You're welcome.

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TBB Asks – Love Edition

By Andrea | February 22, 2018

Hugs or Kisses? I love to kiss my husband, but I’m more of a hugging/cuddling up under a blanket sort of person. Candy or Flowers? I love me some candy.  Flowers are only good if they are live in pots and can be planted outside. (Otherwise I tend to kill them.) Baking or Cooking? I…

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King-Size Communique Quilt Layout

By Andrea | February 21, 2018

I recently released the throw quilt pattern from my Communique Quilt, but have talked to a few people who are interested in making the design into a bed quilt.  Because of this, I’ve set up the full king-size layout for you.   In this version of the pattern, I’ve marked the throw quilt design in…

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