Meet Puzzler Jigsaw Jubie

What is your name?

Jigsaw Jubie a.k.a Justine

Where do you live?

Sydney, Australia

How did you start your puzzle journey?

I’ve always enjoyed puzzling, even as a little kid but I only ever had a very small collection of puzzles that I would just do every now and then. At the very start of 2020 (just before all the lockdowns started funnily enough) I decided to see what puzzles were out there and I was just in awe of all the new puzzle brands and designs that were now available here in Australia. It started with a couple new puzzles added to the collection… and then I couldn’t help myself, I just became totally enamoured and obsessed! I would sneak in a visit to the hobby shops and bookstores in the city whenever I could just to browse (and maybe buy a few) puzzles! I then discovered a fabulous puzzling community on Instagram which is fondly referred to as “Puzzlegram”. Since then I’ve met so many wonderful people and made a bunch of amazing puzzle friends (including Tania!) both in Australia and around the world! So for me puzzling hasn’t just been a fun hobby (obsession), but has really added so much more to my life! Meet Puzzler Jigsaw Jubie

Do you have a favourite piece count?

I would say 1000 pieces is my favourite. It’s a good balance of doable plus challenging. I also find that this piece count has by far the most amount of fun designs available (due to it probably being the most popular piece count). I occasionally do larger piece counts but I don’t like having to get up just to reach the other side (world’s laziest puzzler here). I’m also a bit restricted on puzzle size due to my small, round and terribly impractical puzzle table. So I guess that settles it then!

What is your preferred piece cut? Random or ribbon & why?

I like both but if I just want a relaxing puzzling session where I don’t have to think too much then I definitely prefer ribbon cut. However, if I’m looking for a fun challenge I think random cut pieces can really challenge the way you think and get you thinking outside the (puzzle) box! Meet Puzzler Jigsaw Jubie

What is are your favourite puzzle brands?

Tania Wicks of course! ???? I also love Soonness, One But Many, Mintyfizz Puzzles, Grateful House, Pomegranate, Elena Essex, Ravensburger, Reverie, Cloudberries… argh! There are so many amazing puzzle brands that I really love and I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention some!

What is your favourite TW puzzle?

Oh, this is a tricky one! I’m not sure I have one favourite. I love the ‘Le Macaron‘ puzzle – the soft, pastel colours are just beautiful. But I also really enjoyed ‘Citrus Burst‘. It’s just so cheerful and vibrant and was super satisfying seeing it come together! I am very excited too for all the beautiful, colourful designs in the second collection!

If you could meet anyone in the puzzle community who would that be and why?

I think I would love to meet all my close puzzle friends that I’ve made both through Instagram and YouTube. Some are physically close, right here in Australia and some are located all over the world! I feel like my puzzle friends just ‘get’ me and I think it would be such a blast to just meet, chat puzzles together and of course actually puzzle together too! ???? Meet Puzzler Jigsaw Jubie

What else do you enjoy other than puzzling?

I love just relaxing on the couch sometimes, finding a show that fits the mood I’m in and just getting totally absorbed into it… and binge watching it of course! ???? I also love watching YouTube. I have a whole bunch of channels I’m subscribed to – I tend to watch three main genres when it comes to YouTube. Puzzle videos, colourful makeup videos, and Japanese life/culture videos.

I also enjoy learning languages – I’m not particularly good at any but I still enjoy trying them out and having a go. I love finding the connection between different languages too – like how Swedish has words that I also recognise in both English and German – so fascinating and nerdy! ????

Oh, and I nearly forgot! But I absolutely love travelling and seeing and experiencing other cultures! Although, not surprisingly I haven’t done any travelling for quite a while now. But there may be a big trip to Europe in the works! ????

What is your puzzling strategy… for example do you do border first, are you a sorter?

I am definitely a sorter! My usual strategy is to first assess whether the border is easy enough to do first, if not I’ll leave it until last. Then I identify parts of the puzzle that stand out – colours, patterns, other details. After this I’ll do a quick rummage through the pieces and pull out as many of the ‘stand out’ pieces that I can see and also the edge pieces (even if doing the border last I like to take them out to get them out of the way). Then I end up going through the remaining pieces and flip them all the correct way up. Phew! That’s a lot! But I find taking the time in the beginning really helps make things go more smoothly for the rest of the puzzle.

Do you have any tips for challenging puzzles?

I guess a lot of what I said above is useful and will help with a challenging puzzle too. If it’s a puzzle with lots of pieces that are the same colour/pattern then sorting by piece shape is going to make things a lot more manageable… although probably still very time-consuming. Something else I always do when all the pieces in front of me start to feel overwhelming is to remind myself that all these pieces have a place and have to fit somewhere within the puzzle. It might sound obvious but I find this reassurance just helps bring back my puzzling confidence. Meet Puzzler Jigsaw Jubie

Do you have a favourite puzzle theme?

I don’t have a particular theme when it comes to puzzles, but I definitely feel more attracted to some styles over others. For instance, I often gravitate towards puzzles with bright, bold and well defined designs, rather than soft, delicate and fussy designs. I’m also less likely to choose a puzzle image showing scenery or a landscape scene of nature. Definitely no Neuschwanstein Castle puzzles for me!

What’s your favourite type of puzzle, eg wooden, rectangular, circular?

I don’t think I necessarily prefer one type over the others but I mostly do the classic rectangle shaped puzzle – mainly because that’s the most common type of puzzle. Although I do always think round puzzles just look really cool and are fun to piece together, watching the circle take shape. And wooden puzzles are such a different puzzling experience. I never understood the appeal of them until I actually did one! They often have irregular shaped pieces which make them more challenging. And a lot of wooden puzzles also come with really cute, fun ‘whimsy’ shaped pieces.