When people see my vast collection of assembled jigsaw puzzles they always ask how I put them together. The first thing I make clear is that assembling jigsaw puzzles is my hobby so it is enjoyable, rarely have I felt like throwing everything away and giving up. I will never tell anyone that it is going to be easy and the more pieces you have, or the more complicated the image, the harder it will be to assemble. There are, however, a few tips I can pass along to make it more enjoyable and easier.
I start by buying a large display board from the hobby store so I can easily store my pieces if I don’t finish in one day (I usually take a few days to finish). Start assembling with the border and there’s a very good reason for that. The edge pieces are easier to distinguish and thus easier to assemble than the rest. Plus, they give you a very good starting point.
The next step, after you’ve finished with the border, is to choose similar colors and group the remaining pieces into piles of the same color. It is easier to separate some areas on the image that are distinct and easier to assemble and to group the pieces accordingly. If the jigsaw puzzle you’re working on has distinct objects you can isolate them and work from there. Once those pieces are assembled it will motivate you to keep going.
If you become discouraged with not finding the right pieces that fit you can put the puzzle away and work on it later. I find that the puzzles that are easier to assemble have lots of color and are interesting to me so everyone should choose what is appealing to their own taste. If you come across a piece that does not fit in a hole, do not force it, but move on to other pieces until you find the right fit. Some people put their finished puzzles back in the box and pass them on for others to enjoy. I glue and mount all my puzzles for enjoyment.
Always remember, the important thing is to have fun.
This is a picture of me and part of my growing collection.
