Jigsaw puzzles

[Jude]

I'm not sure if this is an acceptable topic for these forums, but does anyone build jigsaw puzzles?

I have a couple of digital apps (and a few more that no longer work on my current OS), and sometimes I will do an online one, but...

A couple of years ago, I was half-heartedly opening some boxes of things that were packed up and brought from my mother's house after she died, and I came across a couple of boxes of old jigsaw puzzles. It brought back memories of building puzzles as a child, and also building puzzles with my mother when I was older.

So, I decided to start building jigsaw puzzles again, and it was a good idea. It calms me down and I enjoy it, too.

If anyone is interested in what I have built since opening those boxes (I still have some that I haven't built again, and I have added puzzles that I mostly got in thrift stores and dollar stores, but I also treat myself occasionally when there is a good sale/coupon code somewhere), here are some links where I posted the images (and commented):

WARNING: these links contain many images and therefore may take a while to load with a slow connection, or use up data if you don't have unlimited data usage.


Jigsaw Puzzles built in 2020 (ongoing)
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2659 ... tem7394244

Jigsaw Puzzles built in 2019 (ongoing)
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2494 ... tem6580060

Jigsaw Puzzles built in 2018
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2362 ... tem5888757

Jigsaw Puzzles built in 2017
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2187 ... tem5542434

[LadyKestrel]

That's quite a load of puzzles, Jude! When I was a kid, my father would set up a jigsaw puzzle on a card table in the living room, and my siblings and I would help him put it together whenever we went by. My sister, who lives with me, is now a puzzle maven. She and one of our cousins save them to swap with each other, and I'll buy her one when I see something I think she'll like. I enjoy doing them, too, but this is something I let Sis lead. She likes me to help, but I let her set it up her way. Recently we put together one with non-traditional pieces and lots of subtle colors in the fancy costumes of the two women in a garden with flowers and a peacock, and it took us both quite a while to get that one together. Afterwards, my sister puts all the border pieces in a Ziplock bag to make it easier for the next person to put together.

I also download and do one of Peter's Jigsaws every Friday, which I enjoy, but I agree that handling the pieces is more soothing.

[Jude]

I have the Peter's Jigsaw app, too. I used to do "digital" puzzles a lot more before I started building the cardboard ones again, but I still do one occasionally (but often forget to post pics of them).

Like your sister, I sometimes also put the edge pieces in a separate smaller bag (which I then put inside a bigger bag with all the rest of the pieces) after completing a puzzle with tricky pieces (especially for a "shaped" puzzle or those with non-interlocking pieces).

When I was younger, puzzle-building was more of a group activity, too, and with a puzzle on the coffee table and people stopping to put a few pieces in as they passed by or sat on the couch, and puzzles were swapped a lot, too (although people tended to keep their favorites). My cousin and I have swapped some puzzles recently.

Unfortunately, I just found out that the local thrift store where I found a lot of good, used puzzles is permanently closing this week. :(

[Jude]

BTW, your sister (or you) might be interested in this Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jigsaw. ... thusiasts/

or this closed group (must ask to join and agree to the rules) that has a monthly theme that people need to follow when posting completed puzzle pics:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Monthly ... ng.Themes/

Both groups are for cardboard or wooden puzzles only (no digital apps or online puzzles).

[draclvr]

Ghostlady also does a lot of physical jigsaw puzzles and posts the picture on her Facebook page.

[Jude]

Ghostlady also does a lot of physical jigsaw puzzles and posts the picture on her Facebook page.

I think she may be the person who I discovered the Jigsaw Puzzle Enthusiasts Group from! ;)

[LadyKestrel]

Sis doesn't have an internet connection on her computer because of her limited reading ability, and I'm not on FB, but I did enjoy scrolling through the hundreds of puzzles posted there and yours, of course. I found only one on FB that we have put together: Birds of the Backyard. (It was tricky deciding which wing and tail went where.) Sis doesn't keep her puzzles, except for the map one that shows our area and has a house piece in the exact spot where we live. One of my absolute favorites is a wonderfully crowded old bookstore with books piled everywhere.

[Jude]

Oh, that's a cool puzzle (the one with your house in it)! And I can understand the appeal of a bookstore crowded with old books.

I tend to like undersea images, and dinosaurs, and cool-looking buildings for my puzzle choices, but sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by puzzles with images I didn't particularly like, too.

[LadyKestrel]

Almost any kind of puzzle can be fun. The last one we put together was only 750 pieces, but it was a Frank Lloyd Wright design with lots of bright colors. Bas Bleu booksellers has a couple I've been eyeing for my sister's birthday in November. One is composed of small NYC scenes (signs, store fronts, doorways, etc.) and the other is called the Christmas Attic.

[Jude]

;) "only 750 pieces" ...

My preferred piece counts are from 300-600 pieces, although I also enjoy building smaller and larger piece counts sometimes. I am limited by my available table's dimensions, though. The largest piece count I've built so far is 1500 pieces. I really like the old Whitman 304 piece puzzles.

[Rosaboobie]

I too have recently rediscovered my childhood and started to do jigsaw puzzles again, although I dont have much free time just now - but I think this will be one of my hobbies this coming Winter. I have a lovely big dining table in the kitchen which I plan to use for this purpose!

[JKEerie]

My Mom used to love jigsaws but gave them up in the last year or so before she passed. I used to love doing them from time to time myself. I have a ton of them in the basement between my collection and Mom's.

[Rosaboobie]

It's a red letter day for me - I belong to many local "Buy & Sell" sites on Facebook - but you have to be quick if you want to snap u p a real bargain. Yesterday someone advertised 35 x 1,000 and 1,500 piece jigsaw puzzles for just £2 each, and guess who answered the advert first. I simply cant believe I have got all these puzzles for just £70, plus £10 courier charge- whoop whoop - I am over the moon!

The previous owners also left me a stack of jigsaw puzzles - most of them Kincade, which I love.

[draclvr]

Sounds like you have some wonderful puzzle-making days this winter!

[Jude]

Here is my ongoing list of completed puzzles for 2020:
https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/2659 ... tem7394244

I'm going to edit the original post to add this link.