About

Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

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Welcome Home!

 

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Throughout my whole life, whenever anyone walked into our home – be it stranger or friend, seldom seen or always around – my Dad always greeted every visitor the same way:

Welcome home!

Mom and Dad wanted our home to feel like their home. They wanted every visitor to be at home.

And to this very day, my dad still greets every visitor the same way: a warm handshake, a big smile, and a hearty Welcome Home!

Today, I want to welcome you home the same way – to my new online home, right here at Needle ‘n Thread!

The New Needle 'n Thread, Oct. 2016

If you subscribe to the daily newsletter here on Needle ‘n Thread, or if you visit Needle ‘n Thread via a blog reader or feed, then you might not even realize that much has changed on the website.

But if you pop by for a visit, you’ll see that the whole site has had a complete facelift. And not only is our new online needlework home squeaky clean and bright and spacious, but it’s also uber-functional. It will perform spectacularly for you on your tablets and mobile devices!

No more teeny tiny text, no more zooming in to read. And a constant infinity scroll, so you can browse previous articles with great ease!

Even though the look and the functionality are new, all the same great content is still here. After all, when you move house or remodel, do you throw away your furniture and all the good stuff that makes your house a home? Of course not! It’s all still here, unpacked and ready to play with!

Some Highlights

Just to highlight some of the major changes on the site:

1. When you are in mobile view, the top menu will disappear and will be replaced by a “hamburger” (that’s a little stack of lines). If you click on that stack, the menu will float out for you.

2. The needlework shops and businesses that advertise directly on Needle ‘n Thread (and who, in a big part, make the site possible) are located in the right column on desktop view and will show up between articles in mobile view. The big, beautiful ads you see there are for quality needlework businesses, all hand-embroidery related, and all small businesses offering great services to the needlework world. Each business is reviewed and approved by me as a good fit for my readers. I’ve dealt with them all personally, and I know they are solid. Please support them! Supporting them goes a long way to keeping the needle arts alive and prospering!

3. In the left column, you’ll find some structural organization for the site and various highlights, like tags (if you want to look up specific topics by a topic tag), archives (if you want to browse the site by year), recent comments, recent posts, featured e-books, and two sections that have always been on Needle ‘n Thread, but that I plan to expand and pay a little more attention to in the upcoming year: Types of Hand Embroidery and Pictures of Hand Embroidery. Those are a work in progress! You’ll also find information about me, contact information, the newsletter sign up form, and social network links where you can connect with me in other places online.

4. The Search function is in the top menu, so it’s easy to find!

5. The Ask & Share link is located under “Other” at the end of the left column. The forum is no longer functional, but it can still be viewed (it looks like the old site). It’s being phased out, and eventually, it will disappear.

Gratitude All Around!

As many of you know, from this article last year, there’s really only me on this side of the computer screen, when it comes to creating the daily content you see here on Needle ‘n Thread.

But when it comes to site design and functionality, I put these concerns into the very reliable hands of the folks at Imagemakers in Wamego, Kansas. They know how to take an idea, a vision, a “feel” for what I want and turn it into Website Reality. I sleep soundly at night, thanks to them! Thanks, Dan, for your vision and understanding, Clayton for your magic coding skills, and all of the image makers who helps make Needle ‘n Thread work!

Finally, thank YOU, my friends, who visit with me daily in my online home! Without you, what would be the point of Needle ‘n Thread?

To say a proper thanks and to celebrate the new look, I’ll have a free, fun project for you next week!

I hope you’ll take some time to explore the new site and that you’ll always feel at home on Needle ‘n Thread!

 
 

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(158) Comments

  1. Do you know if there’s a way to change the view between “mobile” and “desktop”? I read your blog online on a laptop, and I’m apparently getting mobile view or maybe a hybrid view–menu choices across the top but ads interspersed with text rather than along the right side.. The wider text area is fine for reading your post, and I love having all the information about the blog on the left column instead of some on each side. But when I’m done reading and want to check for whatever product I’m looking for at the time, I’d prefer to see all the advertisers in a column along the side, and all on one side would be great!

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    1. Hi, Peggy – it depends on your browser width. You’re getting the “hybrid” view, visible on tablets (horizontal) and smaller laptop screens, where you can see the left column and the menu on top, but the right column shifts to between the articles.

    2. I’m not getting the right column either. In fact, I’m not getting any of the ads at present, even between posts. (I did spot one briefly for Thistly Threads, but it disappeared when I scrolled down). This on a Mac using Safari.

      I just checked the site using the Firefox browser and it works as it should – Advertiser on the right side.

    3. Know what the problem was – I have an adblocker (called AdBlock) running in Safari and the ads on your new site are not in its approved list (it allows what it calls “acceptable ads”). I have manually allowed your ads, as I like them and want to support you. The ads on your previous site showed up, so your ads should be OK. Perhaps AdBlock just needs to catch up …

    4. Hmmm…I’m one of those stodgy types who doesn’t do change very well…but this new layout is pretty good. I do like the more open appearance…and it keeps telling me I’ve already posted when I try to post – do you have those little ‘are you a robot?’ picture quizzes?
      I’m with Peggy on the layout issues…I have to scroll through etc…but don’t worry – this is not a negative reply – just a beta version commentary!

  2. I always look forward to reading your blog. I like the tone – it’s very positive. I like the information – it’s very helpful and inspiring. I like how it is all about needlework though I do read the personal posts when they occur. I always like to know the backstory too. The blog facelift is fabulous!

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  3. Beautiful! 90% of the time, I do get my Needle ‘N Thread fix via my RSS feed but I will wander around, checking this out. (Not all who wander are lost)

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  4. Love, love, love the new site, Mary! Congratulations on the remodel–and may it serve you (and us!) well for many years to come.

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    1. Thanks a bunch, Nora! That’s what I’m hoping for – an easy reading experience for everyone. When it comes down to it, I think that’s the most important point!

  5. Mary, your new site is wonderful. Thanks for all the thought you and your team put into it to make it easier to read and navigate.

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  6. Dear Mary

    Well I thought I come to the wrong place it looks fantastic I do like it that I don’t have to put my name, email and website any more thats great and I like the clarity of the new site it’s great. I like when you answer it’s highlighted in red great idea. I am now going to surf your site and have a more in-depth look at all the different functions. Congratulations on the new site can’t wait to surf.

    Regards Anita Simmance

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    1. Surprise! The same thing happened to me yesterday when it launched, Anita. I didn’t know exactly what time it would go live, and I accessed the website for something and said…”Oh!” I thought I had landed on my development site. But it was live, and I was so relieved and happy to see it! I’m glad you like the red highlight. I also like the red links – they’re very clear. Enjoy your browse!

    1. Hi, Evelyn – Thanks for your note! It’s probably the size of your browser screen. Anything smaller than 15″ is going to go into hybrid mode, and you’ll see the ads between the posts as you scroll. Glad you like the look! 🙂

  7. Thank you so much for all the time, trouble and effort that you’ve put into creating a beautiful new home for us, your followers, Mary. Your website and writing have always been extremely welcoming… you’re, definitely, following in your father’s footsteps. Have a great weekend.

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  8. This new website is just beautiful Mary. I’m a daily reader, and I see this new look as a accomplishment for you and us. Thank you, I look forward to continuing for years to come.

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  9. Wonderful site, Mary! It’s so fresh and roomy! Congratulations! Love your blog and always look forward to what you have to offer.

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  10. Scrumptious! Crisp and clean. Never would have thought it possible to improve on perfection, Mary, but you and your Web Gurus have done exactly that! Congratulations on your beautifully done redo!

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  11. I’m sneaking a peek while at work but ….This looks fantastic! I’m excited to be able to take the time and really enjoy the new site. Thank you for making this a wonderful website for us. You always make us feel at home.

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  12. I’m getting the mobile view from a laptop computer, which is annoying 🙂 How do I get to the desktop version?

    Holly

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    1. The version you get is dependent on the size of your browser window. But I’ll look into that further. You shouldn’t actually be getting the full mobile version – probably just the hybrid, where the right column ads appear between posts. Other than that, it should be the same as the desktop version. You shouldn’t, for example, be getting the hamburger menu. If your browser isn’t filling your whole window and you can maximize it, that might adjust the view for you.

    2. Got your logo at top left, the “hamburger” menu top right, no columns to either side of text. Sounds like the “full” mobile version, according to your description, to me. I’m using Firefox, maximized, on a 15″ wide laptop screen.

    3. Hi, Holly – Ok, I checked it out. You’re right – a 15″ laptop in Firefox goes full mobile. To adjust that, with your browser open, you can zoom out by holding control (or command on a Mac) and the minus sign (-). Zooming out once should give you the hybrid, and twice should give you the full site. But leaving it zoomed in to 100% will still give you full content. Hope that helps!

    4. Hi, Holly! Well, that’s a temporary fix. The mobile version will be easier to read, and the menu at the top will pop out when you use it. I’ll definitely look into it, though, and see if it’s possible to adjust the setting to fit the full version or at least the hybrid into a smaller browser using Firefox. Might take a little while, but I’ll see what can be done!

  13. Well, I love the new website! It’s so nice to see all the margins used. It really feels different, especially when I get to the “shop” page which is still in the old format. The organization seems more intuitive too. Great job to all!

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    1. Hi, Monica – Thanks! Yes, the shop is not quite updated yet, but it will be soon. It’s hosted on a different platform, so it needs to be updated separately. It’s kind of fun to flip back and forth between the shop page and the home page, to remember what the site looked like. Not that’s I could forget this soon (well…!). And not that I didn’t love the old format. When it first came out, it was functional and attractive and fit well into the internet trends at the time. Funny how fast things age online, isn’t it?!

  14. Mary,

    I love it! It is awesome! One thing could a arrow on the right side be added
    ( or whatever) to bring you to the top again?

    I thank God for you all the time!
    Hugs,
    Terry

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    1. Hi, Terry – Glad you like it!

      There are a few different ways you can easily bring any website to the top again:

      If you’re on a desktop or laptop, you can do a hold-click at the top of the scroll bar on the right of any browser window and the page will scroll quickly to the top. If you’re using a full keyboard, the Home button on your keyboard (on the small keyboard area between the letters and the number pad on the right) will take you immediately to the top of the page. The Page Up button in the same area will move you up in increments. On most tablets or mobile devices (phones), you can tap the top of the browser screen to bring any website back up to the top.

      I try to avoid any kind of floating buttons and so forth on Needle ‘n Thread. I know most websites are rife with them – floating social networking buttons and share buttons, pop up floaters for advertising and whatnot – but they usually interfere with content and easy readability, so I don’t particularly like them. But after a while of testing the current functionality, I’ll see if it would make sense to include an up button. Thanks for the suggestion! In the meantime, those shortcuts mentioned above work on any browser on any website and they’re definitely worth knowing!

      Thanks again!

    2. Mary, I’m not sure what you mean by a hold-click on the top of a scroll-bar. I’m using Opera – because the bookmarks are so well organised – compared to Firefox – on a laptop. I’ve tried a few things without success.

      Regards,
      Helen

    3. Hi, Helen – Just hold the click on your mouse at the very right of the browser window, where you see the vertical scroll. If you go to the top of the vertical scroll, just click and hold until it scrolls quickly right to the top.

  15. Oh Mary!!!! – I was having coffee this morning and saw your update, as usual, in my emails. When I read the update I just had to pop into the Site to inspect – congratulations, it’s gorgeous! It’s still exactly “Mary’s Site” – – – but the updates are terrific – gorgeous photographs – content still very easy to find – – – I think we’re all going to enjoy this!

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  16. Mary, usually I hate change but this time, the new site looks great! I can find everything . And that brings me to a question: What did you do with the Secret Garden Hummingbird Project? Did you choose to frame it? It was so beautiful that I don’t like to think of it shut away.

    Thanks for all the work that goes into this site, Mary, it’s a bright spot in my day when I have a new column to read. Bless you, Charlotte

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    1. Hi, Charlotte! Oooooh, the hummingbirds. They need a frame, still. I took them in for a custom frame job, but I just couldn’t settle on a framing solution I liked. So there they are, lying between some sheets of tissue paper, on a shelf in my workroom, just waiting. I’ll attempt it again when the coffers are favorable!

  17. Gday there Mary,
    I like the ‘Welcome Home’ story, very warm and comfy, like the song “Come right in, sit right down and make yourself at home” : ))
    Your (and our!) new site is great. Very neat and efficient without limiting your own special brand of entertaining and interesting presentations. Well done to you and your web team.
    Cheers, Kath

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    1. Hi, Jessica! Oh, yes, you are so right! That’s why I love Imagemakers – they do an amazing job, they’re local, helpful, responsive and they “get it” when it comes to understanding wants and needs. I learned a long time ago that it’s better to pay professionals to do what they do well, than to spend my time trying to figure out how to make something half-heartedly work. The learning curve alone when I started blogging using a template I kept trying to customize ate up so much of my time. It really pays off to find a good team of design professionals who can do their magic on a website, that’s for sure!

  18. Wow what a change, not that the old look was wrong but your new look is very clear. Reminds me of the start of a big sewing project with everything in its place, and a clean, clear working table. Beautiful. I’m really looking forward to exploring it because I know I’ll find things I missed on the old look. Thank you for doing this for all of us.

    Angie

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  19. It looks beautiful, and now I’m going to have to spend more time exploring!! 🙂 I’ve loved your site since I found it a few months ago and you’ve gotten me into stitching. I used to say I liked cross stitch over embroidery, but you have changed that!! 🙂 I don’t see the advertisers though. I’m on my home computer, so I’m not sure if I have some setting wrong. Keep up the good work: I love reading your posts!! Hugs, H in Healdsburg

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    1. Hi, Helen – thanks! If you scroll down, you’ll see the ads between the posts. On smaller browsers, they’ll shift to a hybrid view, so you can see them between posts. Hope that helps!

  20. Mary,
    Love the new website. Now you can cross that big project off your “to do” list ! Doesn’t it feel great?

    I so appreciate your concern for us, and the time and effort it took to make this happen.

    Thank you!

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  21. Fabulous!!! I am having so much fun exploring! I am clicking on everything!!!
    Really nice job in designing your new website!!

    Worth waiting for!

    Thank you Mary !!!

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  22. Mary-Love, love, love your changes to needlenthread! You are a very special talent. This fan feels truly welcomed.
    Thanks. Sue

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  23. I love the new site! I was online last night and caught it while it was almost finished, and I come back today and it’s all done. My name and email pre-fill, I like that. The updated photos, the new fonts, all of it, I love it! Thank you Mary, for all the work you do here. I have to admit, I was worried for you years ago when you quit your day job, but you have most certainly found your perfect corner of the world in which to bloom, and your garden here is fabulous!

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    1. Thanks, Tracy! I was worried, too! :-/ There are still moments of worry, but overall, it has worked out quite well and I’m so grateful to be able to do what I love!

  24. Wonderful beginning to your new website, your parents sound so lovely and your marvellous professional website reflects such warmth. Thank you.

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  25. I love the new-look site. It’s clean and fresh and (unlike so many other updates) doesn’t lose the good things which were there before. I feel right at home, thank you!

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  26. Hi Mary,

    I love your new site. It is everything an avid embroider would want. I’m new to your site, and have spent lots of time exploring your site. Your work is amazing. I am also from a small country town, and have grown up with avid embroiders around me. This site is just great.
    I’m happy with fabric in one hand, and needle and thread of some kind in the other.
    Happy stitching always, Louann

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  27. Your new sit is beautiful, nice and clean with a good balance of text, ads, and white space. One suggestion, I don’t find the “recent comments ” section at all useful, maybe this space could be used for something else?

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  28. Congratulations on your very beautiful and easy-to-navigate new website! I am an avid follower of yours. Everytime one of your emails comes into my inbox, I get excited. I have learned soooo much from you, so I want to truly thank you for the magnificent work you do and the generosity with which you share your skill, wit and charm with the world.

    Also, I hope your feeling well and getting better fast.

    Big hug from Chile!

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  29. Wow!Wow!Wow! This is absolutely fabulous! Love it! Really Big Thank you for providing this awesome website! I wish I could hug you over broadband!

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  30. I think the changes are really nice, and helpful too. It is an easy layout. I admit the search button had been difficult to find, although I used it often enough, that was the first thing I noticed. The whole thing is wonderful.
    Cheers!

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  31. Congratulations on your new design. I hope any instruction content will also reflect the needs of left-handed embroiderers. A book review of one wonderful book was a start. Please include videos of left-handed people doing the stitches you do right handed. Stay healthy and keep up the fantastic work.

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  32. I love the new design also. I also do not get the right hand advertiser pane. Like others, I would like a way to see all the advertisers on the site in one place so I can easily find them.

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  33. As a newbie hobby embroiderer, your website has been tremendously helpful! Thank you so much for being so dedicated to providing this information to us. The new website is terrific!

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  34. Professional, clean, love the new look. I read every new post to Needle n’ Thread, and refer myself and others to your instructional content often. Congratulations on a successful upgrade.

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  35. Hmmm…I’m one of those stodgy types who doesn’t do change very well…but this new layout is pretty good. I do like the more open appearance…

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  36. Hi! I’m Home!

    Smooth page scrolling, ads for my favorite suppliers of needlework in the middle , which on my 11 inch mac gives me a larger font and easier read. Anything else we need you conveniently link to in the articles. Thank you!

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  37. Hi Mary,

    Your site looks great. I don’t see any side columns, just your comments going from one side of my screen to the other? Also I miss the previous and/or next post button. If I missed a day it was just so easy to click on the previous day at the end of your post, or maybe that’s one of the things that are not showing up on my screen????
    Thanks again for all you do to keep the embroidery arts going strong. We all appreciate it.

    Cheers Judy
    SE Queensland, Australia

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  38. GRACIAS por la bienvenida, y su arte es para mi un refetente de como el bordado es algo tan maravilloso y creativo ,el bordado es un relajante y la mejor medicina ( para mi) ademas el bordado es un conocimiento de la historia del mundo a travez de los siglosGRACIAS por compartir su talento y arte.

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  39. Mary…I LOVE the new website…really easy to read…nice format…great job!!!!

    PS…I sent you a private message via this website at the “contact Mary” link about what might be a slight adjustment needed to this website…or to my pc! I hope you received that message!

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    1. Hi, Bonnie – I just searched my inbox thoroughly and didn’t find your message. Can you re-send it? You can send it directly to mary(at)needlenthread(dot)com. Thanks!

  40. Oh my gosh, this is BEAUTIFUL! I’ve been out of town, meeting The World’s Most Perfect Baby (our new grandson, Hayes) and what a nice surprise to come home to this morning! Congrats, Mary!

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  41. Mary, your new web site is just beautiful? Thank you for all of your time
    and devotion to such beautiful embroidery.

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  42. Hi Mary – I love the new look to your site, but as a relative newcomer I’ve been reading your archive posts, one by one (I’m not a stalker, I promise). With the ‘old look’ site, I could use previous or next buttons to move through day by day, but I can’t seem to do that with the new site. Am I missing something?
    I’d also like to say a huge thank you for all the hard work you put into the site, and how inspiring it is, so thanks!!

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    1. I love the new site but I am having the same problem working through your archived posts. I just found your site last month and I have been reading through your archives. On my iPad I have found I have to scroll backwards through the year to get to the post I want to read and then I can only read one post and I have to scroll back through the year to read the next one, there isn’t a button to move to the next day’s post.

      Thanks for all your hard work, and I am glad I found you!

  43. Some tech questions…I can’t find our forum? is it gone? I didn’t use it often but when I needed it, my friends were in there. Also when using the search button – say I search “metallic thread” the list of articles you’ve written on that subject pops up. I choose an article and read but if it doesn’t have the info I’m looking for I usually hit the “back” button and return to the “metallic thread” search (or whatever the subject). Now I’m having to retype it each time I go back and do a separate search remembering which article I’d read and which ones I hadn’t. I hope that makes sense – Maybe your tech team could make it like it used to be?

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    1. Hi, Heather – When you click on a topic in the search list that comes up, the article opens in a new tab or a new window (depending on the browser you’re using), so you can just close that tab or browser window and you’ll be back at the list. The forum is being phased out. You’ll find a link to it for now at the end of the right column under “other” in desktop view. It’s been closed to new content for over a year, so while it is readable, there hasn’t been any interaction on it for quite a while.

  44. Your redesign looks very nice! I’ve learned a lot from your posts. I particularly liked the deconstruction you did on the goldwork church linen.

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  45. Hi Mary! I’ve finally got my computer on and have been able to look at the desktop version. I’m loving the spacious feel of it! =) I love that there’s a good sized space for your main posting now and that there’s just the one sidebar. Terrific job designers and coders all! =)

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  46. I usually take a look on you site, eventually, during the months. I didn’t know, until today, that it has this wonderful transformation! I was very surprised and happy with all this remodeling! Congratulstions to you and everybody else that worked for this result! It’s amazing!

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  47. This is the first time I’ve been able to be on-line for a long time so I’ve only just caught up with the new website. I appreciate that the new approach will be useful to those using mobile devices but I’m using a laptop or a desktop so many of the changes are not particularly relevant to me..

    I have a problem with the comments no longer being numbered. I have 10 years worth of bookmarks for your site. I use Opera because it has allowed me to have a very detailed structure for bookmarks. Firefox’s bookmark approach is relatively clumsy.

    It was easy enough to just give the number of the comment in the bookmark with text and to search the site by the comment number if the full text was needed. Now it is necessary to use the user name and the date and time to identify the comment in the bookmark and the search requires more input to find the comment.
    For example, I have a bookmark that refers to comment 13, 16, reply to 16. I can probably find the comment by searching the comments using text – if I have used some of the same text as in the comment; otherwise it will be a matter of counting through the comments.

    I could also keep track of what comment I had read and easily pick up from where I had left off if a topic was particularly lively.

    Some of the other embroidery sites I read don’t number comments but it hasn’t been a problem when there are only a few comments.

    Would it be possible to number comments from here to keep some of this functionality?

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