Absolutely, border first. I can't imagine doing one any other way.

As soon as I open the box I sort the pieces onto cookie sheets. All the edges go on the puzzle table as I sort the remaining pieces by color/texture according to the puzzle picture. I'm about to start one titled Trees of North America.

Oh, border first, always! And I refer to the cover photo all the time. When we first open the puzzle we dump out all the pieces and sort them by colors while we pull out the edge pieces. I have a bunch of old, shallow candy boxes we sort the colors into. This helps a lot with the bigger puzzles. I finally had to give some away to Goodwill. I must have given away 50 or 60 puzzles and still have at least that many on the shelves in the basement. But since puzzle season is several months here I do rework them all the time. I had a friend who used to work them and then throw them away until I asked her to start giving them to me instead. I don't always care for her taste in pictures but I can work the ones I like and donate the rest. I'm going to check with some of the retirement and nursing homes in the area this year and see if they would like some.

Definitely border first wth photo on the table. My biggest problem is knowing when to quit for the day. A bit like putting together LEGO villages with the kids when they were young. Long after their interest had waned I was still there putting those buildings together.

Border first too. And yes, I take apart anything left together. When I take it apart I store the border pieces in a baggie in the box.

Oh, yes, all pieces apart or that's cheating, lol! Neat idea, Raye, but then I wouldn't get my colors sorted.

Patty, I know what you mean. Sometimes I'm up way into the wee hours working on them!

I guess I’m a cheater then! Lol....

If it’s 1000 piece puzzle, and a few hundred are sticking together, I’m still working puzzle of approx. 750 pieces, which is my preference.

I did a 1500 piece old fashioned Santa two years ago. I cut a sheet of plywood in half and sanded it and used it on the sunroom table to work the puzzle. It was a big one!! The grandbabies and I started it around the first of December and I didn't finish it until June... when I took that one apart I put the edges in a bag as I usually do, then separated it into 4 quarters and bagged each quarter separately. I think I still have a picture. It was the hardest I've ever done.

We don't consider puzzles a winter only pastime and am interested to learn that so many do.

We always search for the corner pieces first, then complete the edge and build inward from there.

Not winter only necessarily Rhizo - just weather related. In Zone 4 our summers are short and precious so I'm usually gardening during that time. Winter is long, cold and dark. Perfect for a low paced activity like puzzles. I'm gearing up thanks to this thread. The gardens are winding down and it will be in the 30's tonight. Happy Autumn!

I've done jigsaws ever since I was a kid. 1,000 pcs are my go-to. I have a 2,000 pc that I haven't done because of space limitations.

I haven't done one now in a couple of years and I was thinking of trying it again. It's hard doing them when you have a cat. I do them on a folding table that I set up in the living room. When not in use, it fits behind the couch.

Bud is a stretcher. He lays on it and stretches out and pushes them onto the floor.

Roxie loved boxes, so to solve the problem I let her use the puzzle box

We always do one on Christmas after dinner. And my husband bought one for Thanksgiving day this year. The whole family works on the puzzle off and on through the day.

Too funny! Very cute pictures. I've been using two 1/2 sheet sized baking pans for pieces while I work, and I also use sheets of printer paper for smaller sorting tasks.

I also do 1000 pc puzzles, but I have a 1500 pc. comic puzzle of the Great British Baling show, but it's too big for my usual table.

https://www.amazon.com/Jumbo-Clash-Bakers-Haasteren-Puzzle/dp/B07B46SJKK

There's a company that makes puzzles called World's Most Difficult Puzzle. I've done a number of them. They have the picture printed on both sides of the puzzle but the back side is turned 90 degrees.

I've done this one, as well as others of theirs.

"...As a result, we have puzzles stashed all over the house and basement...."

Um, yes, and your point is? Is there some kind of problem with this? LOL!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE jigsaw puzzles! How did I miss this thread originally? I always have a puzzle going, all times of year. I like the 1000 piece or higher, and definitely do the border first. Then I just sift through the box till I find a piece I want to try. Sometimes I'll work first on one part of a puzzle (a big area or something distinctive - the sky is ALWAYS last though lol) but my mom always used to get mad at how I could sift through the pieces, pick out one piece, and put it exactly where it belonged. So she would never do a puzzle with me.

Which is fine, because I like to work alone. My friend who is also an avid puzzler and I once considered joining a team puzzle competition - teams of 2-4 people competing against other teams - but we decided we'd be too competitive with each other, lol, and not be able to puzzle together!

My cat is the only one I let "help" with the puzzles. Mostly because I have no other choice. Those of you who have cats will know what I mean!

I have the exact puzzle carolb posted above - it's got to be 30 years old and I still pull it out and re-do it!

:)

Dee

We hadn't done a puzzle in our entire married life until the Pandemic. lol Then we burned out doing them. I guess we aren't devoted fans of puzzles. [g] It was interesting to do, but after awhile I developed a routine and process for doing them that started to feel too much like a chore. I did do the edges first, then I would sort all the rest of the pieces into whatever part of the puzzle they fit into. Either all sky, or all faces, or all pets, etc. My husband and I tried working the same puzzle, but we ejoyed doing our own too. It did make it easier and cut down on the frustration. I still think I enjoy doing a puzzle once in awhile, I just overdid it when we were home during the the pandemic.

FWIW, I use trays to hold all the pieces rather than spreading them out on the table. Box lids make good trays too. It also helps prevent lost pieces.

Try 1/2 sheet size cookie sheets. Multipurpose!

Jasdip - grey kitty is beautiful!

Jasdip your post wasn't there earlier for me (weird!) but I'm glad I see it now. I might have to look into these puzzles!

PM2 there was actually a puzzle shortage during the earlier days of the pandemic. They were selling like hotcakes and places couldn't keep them in stock. Luckily for me my friend could easily open her own puzzle store so I would just pick up a couple or ten from her each month!

Thanks!

:)

Dee

Carolb ,

i am looking at the app for thst big fish game. . not sure i ubderstand if i pay the price for the game do i have it forever or a certsin number of puzzles.

In addition to Ravensburger, I also really like the Charles Wysocki puzzles. They're usually pictures of little towns or villages.

Dee, next time we are quarantined, now I know who to ask for the puzzle source. lol

PFan - I enjoy Wysocki puzzles too. Anything that is little villages and scenes. I love Lang calendars and they sometimes have Wysocki calendars.

Thank you to those mentioning names of very good quality puzzles - I'm new to puzzles, having only purchased 250-300 pc Ravensburger puzzles for my grandchild. I am starting to buy some 500 pc puzzles for when I retire next year - 1000 pc seems too daunting; I don't know if I'll ever be able to manage that level of complexity. Are there brands to avoid?

Here's a list of brands and ratings. I've found it very accurate. https://jigsawjunkies.com/puzzle-brand-comparison/

I just bought 3 puzzles for Christmas gifts from Bits and Pieces. Im glad to see them rated so highly.

I also ordered one for me

I like the bigger pieces in the 300 puzzles. I also like that you can get the same puzzle in different number of pieces

I used to do BIG puzzles, but I was reaching with my right hand and ended up with a problem in my right shoulder. An ortho doc fixed it . Now i do lots and lots with my left hand.

If you like quality puzzles, do look into wood puzzles. Yes they are pricey, but treat yourself or give one as a special gift to someone special. You will be glad you did.

This maker is in Colorado. Great people to deal with .

https://www.libertypuzzles.com/about

and this one on Great Britain

https://www.wentworthpuzzles.com/us/wooden-jigsaw-puzzles

Hi Lyban - I purchased the Jigsaws Galore game - and many others - and have had them all for years now and use them without limits. I'm not sure if they have a limit on how many devices you can install it on, but I have the Big Fish Games console app on 2 different computers. Once you create an account, you can download the games you've purchased from your history.

The only limit I know is if you upgrade to an OS that doesn't support an older game.

I'm on a Mac OS. I don't have experience with Windows.

I just checked my puzzle collection from last year. I found some of the better brands were very expensive, so I bought Buffalo Games which I think was less expensive, but we considered still high quality. We had no complaints about them. They have a number of Wysocki puzzles.

We like the 750 - 1,000 piece puzzles

Buffalo Games Puzzles

@lgmd_gaz I've been to that storefront for Liberty Puzzles, they've got really cool stuff! Beautiful puzzles with really interesting peice shapes.

This inspired me to try one. Haven't in decades and decades. What do you suggest I try?

I'm sure I'm competent. I'm sure I am not gifted! How many pieces should I start with?

What about a puzzle makes you "stick with it' even when it is challenging?

What about a puzzle makes it so frustrating one is more likely to give up?

It seems to me for a beginner one needs to find an image that is intriguing/engaging. That may be more the motivation than the challenge. In my experience having some early success is the

foundation for being willing to be frustrated while building a skill.

I know these questions/answers depend on the individual,, but I'm interested in your thoughts.

BTW what a great question! This could keep us going into winter!

For me, the image is most important, then quality of the physical puzzle itself. Pieces that that don't lock together properly are so frustrating.

IMPO, 500 pieces might good to start with.

About those wood puzzles...here are 3 that I have done. Look closely at the detail of the pieces. Even in low piece count they can be a challenge.

Another question:

Because of arthritis I have dexterity challenges. I know I'll have to experiment, but what makes puzzle pieces easy or difficult to pick up? Thickness? The quality of the finish of the edges?

Marie

ps Thanks for those images. The butterflies would drive me batty.

My mother was seriously into doing them so we did as well of course. It made a good gift to give her as well plus she enjoyed getting a big box of thrift store puzzles.

The San Juan Ferries have puzzles set up on the tables inside. People work on them as they come and go. At least they did-havent done that run in a while.

I had a couple of really huge ones which covered the entire top of my enormous rectangular patio table. I had a canopy over it. I spent a chunk of summer once doing them for an hour or two in the heat of the afternoons. One was birds in a border with flowers I think and the other was chocolates. My only difficulty was the squirrels would steal the pieces. These days I do them on my computer. I like complex.

With boxed puzzles always break up all the pieces because why bother otherwise? And all pieces mixed to be sorted. Border first. Sometimes I will chose a side and work across the face especially if the puzzle is not particularly challenging. Still I rarely work a boxed puzzle. Cats.

I've gotten into puzzles since my dad entered Assisted Living a few years ago. The games closet was full of puzzles and was (is) a major social activity for the folks living there.

How many pieces should I start with? Recommend 300 pieces, as a warm up. Sort out the straight pieces and assemble the edge first. Consult the picture on the box often. Group the remaining pieces by 'color family'. Note the basic shapes of the pieces: heads, wings, spades, is what I call them (lol). After completing one or two, move up to 500 pieces for a time or three. Then try a 1,000. Choose images you like, and with lots of details that will give you clues where a piece fits.

What about a puzzle makes you "stick with it' even when it is challenging? I must like the image. For instance, I did a puzzle portrait of a woman in a white dress on a greenish background. Most pieces were shades of white, or shades of green. But the picture was so beautiful I wanted to see it fully, and peering closely at the pieces made me feel like an artist myself, noting the subtle swirls of paint. (Hey, that's as close as I get to being the next Van Gogh -- so why not enjoy it!)

What about a puzzle makes it so frustrating one is more likely to give up? If I don't care for the image -and- it's difficult, life is too short. I gave up on a sports themed one recently because all the pieces were about the same color -- sort of like the portrait of the lady I mentioned above, but there was no 'artistry' in the image to lead me on. All that effort for a pile of basketballs? no thanks. I also gave up on a vintage puzzle where the pieces were so thick they felt squishy almost -- just yuck.

Another hint: to make a puzzle more challenging, grab a random handful of pieces and set them aside before you start :-)

Nickle-kg

Thanks for the good advice. I do remember some strategies from doing Ravenbergers with my kids. Those are long gone. It might have been fun to do them again by myself.

Another questions: what skills are reinforced or learned by adults when they do puzzles.get

I can think of strategizing for problem solving; visual discrimination, fine motor coordination....anything you've experienced personally?

I really like what was said about getting into the artist's skin

An unexpected physical experience from a puzzle- how special

Observational skills are exercised for sure - reasoning and strategy, sorting, and patience too, I think. Fine motor skills also get a workout.

Thanks. Just curious, having not thought about the topic for 30 years!

Always looking to improve myself (or stave off decline) and I want to make

sure investing in a puzzle is worth it. (tongue in cheek)

I don't think I mentioned it above, but when my daughter asked me to be her maid of honor, she did it through a puzzle.

I was very touched she chose me to begin with, but to ask me like this I just thought was so thoughtful of her!

:)

Dee

That's a cute idea. And now I'm laughing to myself at the idea of your daughter giving you that gift but in a 1000 piece version lol.

Lol it might have been her first anniversary by the time I read the question and answered!

:)

Dee

I bought a couple puzzles from Puzzle Warehouse, wanted more but did not want to spend more than I had spent spent. Next day I went to the thrift store and got 6 puzzles for $20. I’ve worked 2 of those so far, and one was missing one piece so I made a fake piece so it is complete in a way now. I’ll return puzzles to thrift shop when finished with them.

Yep

When DH and I moved last fall, I made sure that the house we bought had a place to put a desk with peg boards on it that measure 4 ft by 6 ft to hold my 5000 piece puzzles.

Here's the no mess, no storage, no shopping way to do jigsaws. Jigidi.com online. I have been doing these for years. You can search for different styles: cartoons, floral, landscapes, animals, quilts, etc. 100 piece...400 piece. Even search for the same person's puzzle, I do all Totovader's puzzles...fabric samples.

rginnie thanks for that link. I do online puzzles as well, but am always looking for new sources for them. I do prefer doing the real thing though!

ginrummy53, where do you find 5000 piece puzzles? The largest I've seen is 2000 pieces.

:)

Dee

My DH goes online every year to find the hardest looking large puzzles for me. One of the hardest was 5000 piece Starry, starry night .

I've always loved puzzles. I got myself a 1000-piece one that features cameras that I'm going to do someday. Meanwhile, I do online jigsaw puzzles everyday. It's a great distraction and I find it relaxing most of the time. lol (They are timed.)