I make a decoration days in advance and then drape the piece on the day of the shower?

If so, is there a way to store it so it won't?

You want to make a drape ahead of time?? Am i reading that right.

If so, i would try to make it and then wrap in plastic wrap, it might work to keep it soft enough to drape it, but i'm unsure if it will work. IF it is small enough and you wrap in plastic wrap then place in tupperware you stand a better chance of it working.

Thanks Peg!
Yes, I want to do it a couple days in advance and it is going on a 13 x 9 cake, so not real big.

I had wondered about the plastic wrap but haven't done fondant before.

Would putting a real light coat of shortening on the fondant before I store it help at all?

I've done this with fondant bow tails before. I wrapped it in "Glad" brand "Press n' Seal", which to me, is better than regular saran wrap. Then put that inside a ziplock freezer bag so it was airtight.

I'd be worried about the plstic wrap leaving marks on it. I would try spraying it with Pam and placing in tupperware. The fondant will absorb the grease from the spray over time and may keep it soft enough.

What if you made it and stored it attached to a styrofoam block wrapped with parchment paper? That way, the swag would dry in the correct shape to add to the cake. Lay the block so the heavy part of the swag is on top to keep it from falling off.

Thanks for the tip AZCakeGirl.

MacsMom, I would love to be able to just dry it in the right position, it would be so much easier!
The delemma is that my MIL is making and frosting the cake (the mom to be loves her cake ) and I am doing decorations to add on the top the day before or the day of the shower, because she doesn't decorate. She also just leaves the cake in the pan it cooks in, so it doesn't get leveled and I'm afraid the shape I dried the "quilt" in, might not match the shape of the top of the cake and look natural. Is that a legitmate concern, or would it work out fine?

Well, in general the sheet cake will have square'ish edges, right? The swags likely won't dry so hard that you couldn't bend them a tiny bit - unless you are using Satin Ice. If you aren't using MMF and want a fondant that stays soft, I'd suggest Fondarific.

If it's SI, then do as mentioned with draping over a block in addition to spraying with Pam and placing inside an airtight container

Thanks! Now I'm not so nervous that I'll ruin it and have to come up with something different last minute!