Well, I'm back to embroidering for children again.  My newest thing is jigsaw puzzles.
I embroider a picture on a piece of felt, then add another piece of felt under the stabilizer
before stitching the outlines of puzzle pieces.  Then I use special cut work needles to cut
the pieces apart.  The needles aren't quite long enough to cut completely through the bottom
layer of felt, but it is much easier to trim the fuzz away than to cut the whole puzzle by
hand.

     I designed puzzles for four different hoops:  100 x 100 mm, 130 x 180 mm, 150 x 240 mm,
and 200 x 260 mm.  (In English measurements, the sizes are about 4 x 4 inches, 5 x 7 inches,
6 x 9 1/2 inches, and 8 x 10 1/2 inches.)  Here are pictures of all the puzzles.

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     I also created an outline version of each design, for stitching on the front of a
pouch.  These designs have one color for the outlines of the picture and another for
the puzzle pieces.  Since puzzles for very young children usually have a frame with a
backing board that shows the shape of the puzzle pices, I thought it would be a good idea to
include the same.  I added the picture outlines for further help, but you may stitch only
the second color if you prefer.  (You may also stitch the full color design on the pouch,
but don't cut apart the pieces!)  The outline-only designs are included with the corresponding
puzzle designs.  Here is a picture of one of the puzzles with its pouch.  The pouches for this
size of puzzle open along the greater dimension, while the others open along the lesser
dimension.



     The puzzle designs are available singly, in pairs by size, and as a complete set.  Each
purchase includes templates for the included designs (puzzle and outline) and instructions for
the puzzle and the pouch.  The instructions also include a complete list of thread colors for
all the designs.  You are welcome to change the colors to suit yourself, but it helps to know
what will be stitched in the particular color that you plan to change.

     Click here to see a list of stitch counts for all the designs.  The puzzle designs also
include stitch counts for the cut work lines.  Subtract those from the total stitches and you
will see the designs are not as dense as they seem.  The complete set can be found here.  To
find the design pairs, go here and display newest first.  Do the same here for single
puzzles.