The Merry Jigsaw: A Pub for Puzzlers, All Others Welcome

Welcome to our grand opening! Bring your own puzzles and snacks!

Visit our pub and brag to other jigsaw puzzlers about your pretty puzzles, your puzzles purchased, or your puzzling prowess.

Non-puzzlers are welcome to pop in and cheer us on.

In order to make sure our pub is welcoming to all, please include descriptions of any images you post. We want everyone to know how pretty our puzzles are!

Brands We Like

Cavallini & Co.: vintage prints of maps, plants, and animals (recommended by @Sakerfalcon)
La Fabrique à Puzzles: contemporary travel and lifestyle illustrations (recommended by @libraryperilous, especially Laivi Põder landscapes)
Laurence King: literature- and nature-themed puzzles (recommended by @Sakerfalcon, who likes the bookish "World of" line)
Pomegranate: fine art, both contemporary and older artists (recommended by @Sakerfalcon, especially Olga Suvorova paintings)
Reverie: cozy bookish, fairy tale, and folklore illustrations from contemporary artists (recommended by @libraryperilous)
Trevell: quirky contemporary illustrations, many with cats; wide selection of mini-sized puzzles (recommended by @libraryperilous)

Many of these brands can be ordered in North America through RoseWillie, Puzzles Canada, Puzzle Nerds, Fairplay Puzzles, and Puzzledly. I'll add UK suppliers as I find them.

Helpful Links

Reddit wiki with useful tips, links, and lists: r/jigsawpuzzles wiki

Reddit thread with links to contemporary puzzle brands (a few now are out of business): I need modern-looking puzzles!

Now open!

I'm not an aficionado but enjoy the occasional puzzle. We just finished this one today...

Review: Reverie Spring Tea Party puzzle, 1000 pieces, art by Naoko Stoop

High quality puzzle pieces, cute details in the illustration, and regular 1000-piece difficulty level

This is my first Reverie puzzle, and the brand lives up to the hype. The puzzle pieces are thick, have a lovely soft feel, and lock together tightly. I was able to lift and move the completed puzzle. The illustration is delightful, and I loved the details. The bear's butt has shoved up one side of the pillow. The twisty straw so the deer can reach with her snout! The raccoon has arrived late and her necklace flown behind her.

The puzzle is of regular difficulty for a 1000-piece puzzle. The repetition of white and burnished red-orange colors provided the bulk of the challenge. The completed puzzle is 28.5 inches high and 19.5 inches wide. It easily fit on my 1000-piece puzzle board. The puzzle comes with a reusable linen bag for storing the pieces and a reference print that can double as a small art print.

I am so glad I ordered four more Reverie puzzles. This instantly became one of my top brands, and I'm working another Reverie puzzle right now.

Image below: Forest friends gather for a tea party. Colorful pennants hang among white flowers above the white and brown wooden table. A cozy white cottage is in the background. At the table's head, a girl with rosy cheeks and a white dress serves tea from a red teapot. Clockwise from the girl, a cardinal, deer, squirrel, goose, raccoon, black cat, brown bear, robin, fox, white rabbit, owl, and porcupine enjoy cups of tea. Pastries are in the center of the table. The animals are seated in chairs or on cushions that allow them to reach the table. The cat is on the table. The birds are perched on the chair tops. Butterflies flutter nearby. There are wildflowers, including daisies, white blooms, and red blooms, at the bottom of the illustration. The color scheme is white, green, brown, and burnt red and orange.

>5 ScoLgo: That's a fun one! I think I saw it on the Willow Creek website?

>5 ScoLgo: >6 libraryperilous: Both are so cute!

>7 libraryperilous: The brand is BBOLDIN. We got it from Amazon.

Being a bookish type of person, I'm looking forward to this one arriving tomorrow:

>9 ScoLgo: That is quite a puzzle.

>9 ScoLgo: That picture worries me. The dam faces the wrong way. What if it bursts and floods all those lovely books?

>9 ScoLgo: That is gorgeous! Looks like it will be a difficult one to make because of all the dark areas. But very rewarding once finished!

>6 libraryperilous: I love this one!

So I like jigsaw puzzles and especially building Lego sets, but my anti-clutter gene kicks in like crazy because when you're done, it becomes clutter. Is there a lending library system for jigsaw puzzles? Do you get demerits if you lose pieces?

My library is having a puzzle night. You can work on the puzzles alone or with a team, I think it is timed and with prizes. If I am back, I will be part of a team.

I fell in love with a bunch of author themed puzzles I spotted at B&N before the holidays. I didn't buy any, but when I finally get the appropriate table I will invest in a few.

I need to clear off my dining table (the only space big enough for me to make puzzles on) and start up again. I have several new ones lined up!

>14 NorthernStar: How fun.
My library has knitting (any needlework) which is at 6:30 PM so I will wait until we have more daylight before I go again. Coffee Hour once a month at 9AM; I went in December but heavy rains in January and snow and bad roads in February kept me away.
I will suggest the puzzle.

Well, I missed the library puzzle night, due to Mom's illness. I hear it was lots of fun, and the team I would have been on came in second, with only 2 of a possible 4 members. (I'm sure we would have won if I'd been there!)

>17 mnleona: my library has a knitting/crochet/crafts get together on Friday afternoons. I go when I can. It's usually lots of fun, because a great group of people usually attend. Mostly they are retired or otherwise not working people, due to the time slot.

>9 ScoLgo: That's an awesome looking puzzle

>19 Peace2: Yeah, I'm looking forward to that one! Haven't had a chance to start yet as we currently have this one ~65% finished:

  

#thereisalwaysanelephant

>20 ScoLgo:
Your Elephant Awareness is admirable.

:-)

#thereisalwaysanelephant

I couldn't resist this one when I saw it in a museum gift shop. (Apologies in advance - I think the photo has uploaded upside down and I don't know how to correct it)


Now I need to clear my table so I can make it.

>13 Bookmarque: Definitely agree about the cluttered feeling! I went a little wild purchasing puzzles for my new hobby, and now I have no idea where I'm going to put them. I haven't found a lending library, but there are a couple of puzzle rental companies: The Puzzle Exchange and Completing the Puzzle. I don't know if either one is good.

>22 Sakerfalcon: That's pretty and colorful!

>22 Sakerfalcon: Re photos in the wrong orientation, I find that if I go back to the original photo, edit it, rotate it (usually through 360º) and save it and then load it to my LT gallery it usually sorts out it out. I use Apple devices; I don't know if that's a factor.

I'm currently struggling with a 1,500 piece Clementoni puzzle of a tiger walking in dry grassland. Every piece seems to be a shade of brown. I wanted something challenging but I think I may have overdone it.

   

I've made a bit of progress with the sky since I took the photo last week.

Finally got around to this one...



Kinda bummed there were only 998 pieces in the box - but I still like the picture.

>25 ScoLgo: Can you ask the manufacturers for the missing pieces?

Mine claims that I could though I hope I don't need to test it. I had started doing the puzzle a couple of years ago and some of it must have got wet because some of the pieces have peeled away from their backing. Hopefully I can stick them back together though I'll probably have to finish the rest of the puzzle to be able to work them out properly.

>25 ScoLgo: That's impressive puzzling!

I stress bought several new puzzles. Oops.

I hit the pre-order button so fast on this Jane Austen confection!

https://www.puzzledly.com/products/home-of-romance-1-000-piece-jigsaw-puzzle

>28 libraryperilous: Nice. (Although - I think I see a jumpsuit, which seems unlikely for the period.) It looks like a lot of fun.

I'm still struggling with my tiger, would you believe. I've been working on it since we got back from our European trip and I've maybe filled in about as much more as I had in >24 humouress: (some of the purple clouds, most of the face and the left side of his/ her? body and bits and pieces of outline) but it slow. I think I usually manage to slot in about 3 pieces a day.

After a long period of not making jigsaws I've nearly finished this one

>29 humouress: I think its supposed to be a dress moving with the dance steps. But it definitely has jumpsuit vibes. 😆

>30 Sakerfalcon: very pretty!

Edited: numbering

I thought someone posted in this thread more recently than last August!

I bought myself a puzzle table for my birthday, and a lovely Lord of the Rings puzzle to ease me back into puzzling itself. (Not the greatest choice in retrospect given the copious amounts of green. LOL) I also didn't realize the toll it might take on my back and neck, but I really had a sense of accomplishment when I popped in those last few pieces. I swore I was going to take a longish break before I attempted another one, but then I went into Barnes & Noble yesterday and spotted an easier one with book covers on it. I am NOT diving into it yet, though.

My favorite puzzles are the wooden ones from Liberty Puzzles. I prefer about 500 pieces, so it lasts a while but not too long and doesn't take up half a room. I like fine art puzzles best because they're more interesting to look at minutely than photographs, where every particle is not a matter of an artist's conscious choice.

I used to be a big fan of Springbok's round puzzles while they were still in business.

I find puzzles fun, especially building Lego stuff, but then I'm left with that to do with the darn things when finished. I suppose puzzles are easier as they can be broken up and go back into boxes, but what then? I can just see closets and shelves getting overloaded. Eek.

>32 clamairy: Gorgeous! I have a puzzle board with a tilting stand, and it helps with the back/neck issues.

>33 Meredy: The Reddit r/jigsawpuzzles subreddit has quite a few fans of the older Springbok puzzles. Apparently, they were known for their high quality. I have one wooden puzzle, Old Friend from Artifact Puzzles, and I have no idea how to approaching sorting it.

>34 Bookmarque: I have definitely hit my "the puzzles are clutter" stage of the hobby! My library has a free puzzle shelf, and the librarian told me an elderly couple checks regularly to see if I've added any puzzles to it. I like knowing that I'm spreading joy, but I probably should have saved my money and not bought so many in the first place. :)

>34 Bookmarque: & >35 libraryperilous: I am planning to check out the puzzles at the local library. I just have to remember to wash my hands constantly while doing them. LOL

I am curious to know how far >35 libraryperilous:'s tilting board can tilt without losing pieces.

>33 Meredy: I did look at some of the fine art ones but I didn't think my eyeballs could handle them.

Duplicate post!

>36 clamairy: Link below to the one I bought. It has two angles, and they've both worked without spillage. The fabric has enough friction, so the sections (small or large) cling well. I did have to buy a rubber mat to grip the stand, which slides on smooth surfaces.

It works better for horizontal puzzles. The vertical board is too tempting for Coco and she headbutts it from behind to spill the puzzle.

puzzle board on Amazon

>38 libraryperilous: Oh, nice! I will be making do with the board I have for now. I did manage to repair my gooseneck floor lamp so that should make seeing what I'm doing much easier. I won't have to have my nose 3" from the puzzle. Theoretically, anyway.

Quordle Puzzles has a sale on, starting from $3.97. They do interesting-shaped puzzles (ie not rectangular) in wood and have interesting shaped pieces, mostly irregular shapes but they also have a few animals and so on scattered through.

This was a hard one!:


 

>41 ScoLgo: Nice!!! All of that gray and blue, though...

>42 clamairy: Yeah, that made it tough. Also, pieces would easily fit into the wrong spot and look right, only to have to be found and replaced with the correct piece later. That happened a lot with this puzzle! LOL!

We are now onto this one and, believe it or not, it is starting off easier than the Cinque Terre:

>43 ScoLgo: That definitely does not look easier! I had the same issue with that LotR puzzle I did. The pieces would look like they fit, but then I would remove them and hold them up to the lamp and see just a tiny sliver of light. Very frustrating!

>41 ScoLgo: That's beautiful but yes, it looks difficult.

>43 ScoLgo: Wow! That's amazing! I look forward to hearing how you get on with it.