Hi all, I really could use your expertise on making my next project match the picture in my mind (dangerous huh?) OK, I am doing a cake that will be an ode to the movie The Big Lebowski. There will be a 1/2 sheet cake covered in fondant and painted to look like wood flooring (any tips on painting the wood grain would be appreciated) Then on the "floor" there will be a persian styled area rug made out of fondant that I intend to hand paint and lay a bit askew so the fringe on the ends drapes off the floor cake a bit. On the rug will be a severed toe made out of a loaf sized pound cake. The main thing that I am having trouble with at this point is deciding how to keep the fondant rug flexible while I am painting it. I will have to work on it over a few days and when done I want it to drape on the edges. If need be I can put it flat on the cake but you know how it is when you have a picture in your mind. The rug will not be eaten so it can be lifted off when it is time to cut the cake. I really hope I can pull this one off. I am really looking forward to working on it.

I did two super-simple Persian rugs (and a wooden floor once) for two cakes. I just did them in fondant pieces. (Nothing as complex as what you seem to be doing, mine were just the cake board decor.) I love your idea though!

The wood grain was done by mixing brown food colouring just barely into fondant for a marbled look, then rolled out and cut strips with a pizza wheel. The rug was even easier...just a rectangle and some lustre dust to add details.

(Please ignore the crazy-looking chair cake in the one photo. It was my first attempt ever at carving a cake years ago and it's about to fall over! )

it might not be exactly what you want to do, but in my mind it would be much easier to make the rug out of gumpaste, and dry it over the cake pan you are using, then it should be the shape you need (maybe pad it out a little?) and you will have plenty of time to dry it. and you could pad out bump on the pan, so its not totally flat rug.
xx

Ditto what brincess_b said. I was thinking exactly the same thing as I read the OP.

Lay some parchment over the same pan you are baking the cake in. Because the cake is inside the pan, so with frosting, fondant etc. it should be close to the same size when done.

If you want little folds or "waves", you can use little plastic wrap "sausages" taped to the pan to hold it out a bit, or use very thin foam (I got some floor underlay usually for laminate flooring when I did a wavy Barbie doll skirt).

Have fun - sounds like a neat project.

Antonia, That is one wild chair lady! Thanks for the pictures they are a real help. I think what is a bit daunting is that Duff did this cake and that is what my client is basing this cake on so I have something to live up to. If you google the Bid Lebowski you will see pics of Duffs cake. My client wanted the rug to be cake and the toe smaller but I thought putting a floor under the rug would be better. I had not thougth about letting the rug dry over the cake pan. If I did that would you let the gum paste dry then paint it? I guess I could add the fringe after I put it on the cake and if I did let it dry I could put a board uner it to make lifting it off the cake easier . Thanks for the input. Anyone else have some thoughts?

the gumpaste will dry fairly quickly, depending how thin you roll it. i would let it dry then paint it. i dont know about painting it while it dries, i dont imagine it would make a difference!
if the cake is going to be fondant, it would be really easy to lift the rug off, maybe you would just do a few dots of water/ edible glue to secure it. but then again, doing it over carboard would help give it a bit more thickness and stability. up to you on that one i think
xx

Even easier would be to print the rug pattern on a frosting sheet, then apply it to the fondant and shape it right away.

When I've done wood floors, I used a chip brush with airbrush color on fondant. As you stroke (using the brush so the bristles are narrow front to back, not wide), the color 'drags' giving the variegated look.