Jigsaw Puzzle Addiction Jig saw love, so addicting!!

I don't know about you, but I love Jigsaw Puzzles! Always have and I suppose always will. Maybe this constitutes an addiction. If it does it is a harmless one. Maybe it take a toll on your eyesight if any thing. We always have a Jigsaw on the go at our home. It sits on its special table waiting for some one to stop by and put a piece in place. It is a soothing pastime. I have read that during the Great Depression jigsaw sales boomed. Maybe in these difficult times they will come back into their own. Hours of enjoyment could be bought for a few cents, the whole family could enjoy the puzzle making and then it could be passed on to a new family. Not only that, often the puzzles were educational being made in the form of maps with counties and states forming the pieces.

The very first jigsaw puzzles were indeed made by a map maker in 1760 using his maps which made them both amusing and educational. At first the jigsaws were painstakingly made using a band saw called a Jigsaw giving the puzzle its name. Later on in the 1930s the puzzles were made from cardboard using a hydraulic press which simplified the process and made for a snug fit between the pieces.

Jigsaws come in all shapes and sizes and an incredible variety of scenes and picture. It is possible to have a photograph made into a jigsaw puzzle. Many companies offer this service. It would make an ideal gift. for a newly wed couple, new parents or any memorable occasion. For an artist it would be an ideal way to increase income. It is now possible to have three dimensional jigsaw puzzles, quite a challenge to complete. Simple puzzles with large easily handled pieces are available for toddlers from an early age. Often the pieces are in the shape of animals to the child's delight.

My favorite puzzles are intricate scenes with 1000 pieces, which are usually 38 x 27 pieces making 1026 in fact. I like the pieces to be fully interlocking, though having said that some of the vintage wooden ones are fun to do and are sometimes made in random shapes. Many people like to frame and varnish their completed puzzle to hang on the wall. I just like to put the pieces back in the box and mark it to say when it was completed and by whom. This makes it easier years later to decide whether to resurrect an old puzzle. Nowadays there are roll up felts that you can lay out and  roll up to put away after your session without disturbing your partly finished puzzle.

Having said all that, excuse me I'm off to finish my puzzle. It is a beautiful picture of ocean going yachts. Bye bye!