Jigsaw puzzles

[Smellincoffee]

For the last few months, I've been itching to put together a jigsaw puzzle. Yes, really. I have no idea why. It seems like such a charmingly simple way to spend time, putting a picture together while listening to music. I thought I'd see how my niece and nephew take to them. Puzzles are still sold in a local store, but they only carry thousand-piece boxes, which seem a tad ambitious for someone who hasn't done a puzzle since he was eight. Somewhat arbitrarily, I've decided to start with a 500-piece set.

Does anyone ever do these? How much time do you usually give them? Do you put them together on the kitchen/dining table, or do you prefer using a spare table that can be occupied by the puzzle for days on end? Are there different kinds of puzzle scenes you prefer? Right now I'm only looking for puzzles of trains and ships.

 

[Borachio]

Hmmm.

It's certainly an art form when taken to a higher level.

And it makes a change from video games, I suppose.

Have you tried cutting your own? Using a jigsaw, naturally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigsaw_puzzle

 

[Camikaze]

The best ones are those that sit on a table for weeks, being put together by multiple people as they pass by. Good way to kill a couple of minutes.

 

[Yeekim]

I don't think a 1000-piece one is overly ambitious.
500-piece one mightn't last you two evenings, I'm afraid - unless it is something really difficult and boring - e.g. swaths of sky.

 

[CKS]

You can put a 500 piece puzzle together on the kitchen table, because it won't take days to do. I'd do it in one sitting, unless it were particularly difficult. If you do a bigger one, put it on a different table so that you can still eat at the table.

How old are your niece and nephew? My kids (4 and 6) like to do 50-100 piece puzzles that go together really quickly, and they like to do them over and over. Older kids will do better with bigger puzzles. When I was a teenager, we had a 2500 piece star wars puzzle that was 80% black with white dots, 10% millenium falcon, and 10% swirly yellow planet; that one took weeks to do and was great fun.

 

[TomYo689]

Anyone know good online site to shop for a 1000-5000 piece puzzle I know someone who wants one

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Does anyone ever do these? How much time do you usually give them? Do you put them together on the kitchen/dining table, or do you prefer using a spare table that can be occupied by the puzzle for days on end? Are there different kinds of puzzle scenes you prefer? Right now I'm only looking for puzzles of trains and ships.

I've got lots of puzzles, from Thomas Kinkeade scenes to cats to maps... and lots of others on my various "wish lists." What I currently lack is a place to do them where I can be sure my cats won't disturb them. I also love mountain scenes - there was one my family and I did years ago, of Lake Louise... my grandmother nearly threw it out because she was so frustrated. Damn, that one was hard (because you could fit a piece in more than once place, but later on you'd discover you chose the wrong place and would have to redo a large chunk of the puzzle).

If you want to get in some practice, there are sites online where you can do jigsaw puzzles on your computer. You can make them as easy or hard as you prefer, and even make puzzles of your favorite pictures.

Anyone know good online site to shop for a 1000-5000 piece puzzle I know someone who wants one

I buy mine from marymaxim.com (I buy from the Canadian site, but I've linked the US one for you).

As you can see, there are puzzles that appeal to crafters, kids, there are inspirational/spiritual ones, puzzles for animal lovers, shaped puzzles, and 3D. There are collections available where you get several puzzles in various sizes/numbers of pieces. Yes, there are "guy" puzzles there, too. They also sell puzzle mats where you work the puzzle on a cloth mat that you can roll up and set aside while the puzzle is in-progress (the pieces won't be disturbed). I see the US site has penguin and giraffe puzzles - I'll have to see if they're available on the Canadian site.

 

[Antilogic]

What are "guy" puzzles? Pictures of beer kegs and AR-15s?

I don't mind spending an evening every now and then putting together a jigsaw puzzle while watching TV. Most pieces go in on commercial breaks.

 

[TomYo689]

None of those puzzles look particularly guy-y. Thanks for site

 

[Antilogic]

The lightning striking a tree is pretty cool. And the doughnuts...

 

[Murky]

You might like this.
http://www.jigsawplanet.com/

 

[Valka D'Ur]

What are "guy" puzzles? Pictures of beer kegs and AR-15s?

I don't mind spending an evening every now and then putting together a jigsaw puzzle while watching TV. Most pieces go in on commercial breaks.

I figured "guy" puzzles are those that are not cute, fluffy kittens and stuff to do with sewing and kitchen things. Mary Maxim does have puzzles of cars, boats, 3D, shaped puzzles, etc.

None of those puzzles look particularly guy-y. Thanks for site

They do get others in; this is just what their current regular-priced offerings are. There may be others under "clearance."

 

[mangxema]

I did one over Christmas, maybe 1000 pieces. It was a US-shaped puzzle with state birds that was much harder than I had initially anticipated. Turns out, the states were very unoriginal when it comes to state birds; whole swathes of the country have the same damn bird.

 

[timtofly]

I worked on one last fall that was the shape of a dog with different dogs on it. It was three feet long with 650 pieces. It barely fit on a card table. It took a couple of weeks, but I spent one 5 hour 3rd shift "forgot about the time" stretch on it. My daughter helped out on it also, nice bonding time.

I was sent to a cancer treatment office to fix a printer and had to wait in the waiting area that had a Thomas Kinkeade on their coffe table. I could not resist, but found a home for two peices while I was sitting there.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Since this has been bumped, I should mention I've found other places to buy puzzles, too: Herrschners, which has better-than-excellent customer service, and there's a Belgian or German educational toy/puzzle company that sells on eBay that provides excellent service (I don't recall the name offhand, though, as it's been awhile since my last purchase).

 

[warpus]

My 2 and a half year old niece likes these things, and I used to be into them. In a couple years I can see me and her working on larger and more complex puzzles together, as she seems to be a very quick learner. Right now she's putting together fairly simple ones.

 

[shadowplay]

I did one in the last few months. A good way to kill a few minutes, and it tricks people into thinking you're a quiet intellectual.

Spoiler :

 

[asbjornstokka]

Love puzzling myself as well, as long as there are enough colors in the picture that I get some progress to the puzzle. Just found a new Instagram account (kingpuzzle) dedicated to jigsaw puzzles, hope this youth can bring positive attention to puzzles on that social media as well. Do you guys think there is hope for enough attention for such an account to be noticed by people in general? Not only people dedicated to jigsaw puzzles?

www.instagram.com/kingpuzzle/

 

[yung.carl.jung]

I gifted my girlfriend a 1000 piece puzzle of a Klimt painting. She finished it on the same day, without breaks..

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Apparently when I wasn't looking, my Maddy posed for a couple of jigsaw puzzles:

I have one of them and am waiting for the other (for some weird reason they're sold by two different craft companies).