As it happened (from my Journal archives)

January 6, 2009

Tuesday 5:42 pm - Today the Ilford paper I recently ordered arrived so I can now move ahead with the February eBay puzzle (100 Puzzles Project #86), Snow Tree. Tomorrow I'll print and mount #822, Snow Tree, and I plan to start cutting on Thursday with completion on Friday or Saturday.

January 8, 2009

Thursday 3:45 pm - Running a bit behind the schedule I mentioned on Tuesday, but this is OK, due to my much lighter work load. I printed and mounted Snow Tree (#822) today. I expect cutting to start sometime tomorrow with my goal now to complete the puzzle by the end of the weekend. I increase the size of the print slightly and have upped the projected piece count from 400 to 500.

January 9, 2009

Friday 6:07 pm - Cutting is underway for #822, Snow Tree.

Do puzzle cutters feel guilty for cutting a puzzle which is going to be "too hard to assemble"? Dunno, but I do feel a little bit guilty about this one! The puzzle is almost "all tree" and some snow. Excluding the Geometric Pattern puzzles, this puzzle may very well be the most difficult puzzle of the 100 Puzzles Project so far!

Today, I cut the border (straight edges), did the initial cutting, and then about 100 of the 500 projected pieces. I've decided that the edges will be almost completely indirect interlocking - something I haven't done for quite a while. The wood / paper combo is cutting very well, just as the New Orleans Umbrella Girl puzzle did. The Auction for that puzzle ends tomorrow evening. As for Snow Tree, I plan to cut 200 or so more pieces tomorrow and then complete the puzzle on Sunday. After sanding and tung oil, the puzzle will be set aside until February for that month's auction.

January 10, 2009

Saturday 5:49 pm - I cut another 140 or so pieces of #822, Snow Tree. Cutting still going very well. My usual load of weekend chores and a midday dance class kept me away from the shop for most of the day. Tomorrow my schedule opens up, and I expect to cut the 260 or so remaining pieces in the puzzle. I'll post a picture here by Monday at the latest.

January 11, 2009

Sunday 4:29 pm - Puzzle #822, the February eBay puzzle (100 Puzzles Project #86), Snow Tree is done - about as flawless a puzzle as I've ever made. As mentioned, the puzzle will be difficult to assemble. Puzzle has about 500 pieces, will have final piece count as the auction approaches. The puzzle has two snowflake figurals - will have a picture of them plus a picture of the back side as the auction approaches. With the exception of one or two edge piece pairs, the edge pieces are indirect interlocking.

February 13, 2009

Friday 8:09 pm - I finally got this month's auction launched after a long day of catching up with record keeping and getting my overdue state taxes done for this business.

February 14, 2009

Saturday 2:58 pm - The final piece count for Snow Tree, confirmed at 503 pieces. The auction already has five bids, thank you.

From the auction description:

This month's puzzle features a photo I took a few days after a March snowstorm stuck the mountains within San Diego county. The picture was taken of a great spreading tree in the snow with green leaves, sunshine and shadow offering a beautiful scene.

This wooden jigsaw puzzle is a limited edition of ONE, no further puzzles will be made from this image.

This puzzle was cut in my Long Round cutting style with small pieces, 503 pieces, and includes my standard signature piece (signed, dated and numbered on the back) and a second piece (the mostly grey snowflake) marked on the back indicating the puzzle belongs to the 100 Puzzles Project.

The puzzle has two snowflake figurals. For the first time in a long time, I cut the puzzle with mostly "indirect" interlocking edges, adding to the difficulty - and I do think this puzzle is one of the most difficult jigsaw puzzles I've made, excluding some of my Geometric Pattern puzzles. This puzzle is about as flawless as a puzzle I've made, it has a really nice looking backside.