I have done jig-saw puzzles since I was a child. My mom liked to do them, and she had a special tray that she did them on so that they didn’t take up a table and could easily be moved. When she had finished a puzzle, I liked to take out a small section of it, perhaps a corner, perhaps 50 pieces or so, and put the pieces back in place. Now that I think of it 60 years later, it was probably a good way at getting practice at doing jig-saw puzzles.
I have collected jig-saw puzzle for many years. Some have been terrible to do, for example, when the same piece can go in several places. Those have been thrown away or given away quickly. Others have been enjoyable to do and I do them again and again.
What makes jig-saw puzzles a pleasure for me? First of all, the picture has to be something pleasing. I usually like landscapes, often with a building and mountains. When I buy a new puzzle, I only buy the ones that I enjoy looking at the picture. The picture itself should be relaxing, hence landscapes. There should also be enough variety of colors in the picture so that it is a pleasure to do, not annoying.
Most of the time I do puzzles with 500 pieces, as the easiest ones take only a few hours and I can get the table back quickly. I have quite a few with 1000 pieces, but then I need to be able to use the table for several days. Just sorting through the pieces takes twice as long with the larger puzzles. I have very rarely done anything larger than 1000 pieces as they just take up too much space.
Secondly, I enjoy the slow putting together of a picture, piece by piece. It is like knitting or weaving, though in a different medium, as it slowly becomes more done and the project becomes finished. When the last piece is put it, I can say to myself, “Done!” Even doing the same picture several times will give the same joy of having accomplished something.
Every now and then I like to have a greater challenge. The puzzle of London is quite difficult, even though I have done it several times. It is not one that I would have chosen myself, but my son gave it to me after a trip to England. There is writing on many of the pieces so one can tell which way the piece should go, but remembering where everything is in the picture is part of the challenge. It makes me think of the geography of London as well as where in the picture a particular place is. This one was on the table for three days.
Doing jig-saw puzzles is not for everyone, but it is something that I find relaxing and enjoy doing. The boxes require quite a bit of storage space, so I can’t afford to have too many in the house. The current tally is 69.