Ok taking a break from my beach cake, I have another project coming up soon that I was hoping I could get your input on.

Its a nautical themed baby shower. Im making the cake as a gift for my sister in law. However, had I known she was inviting 80+ people I think I wouldnt have been so quick to volunteer.

So anyway, I was thinking of making a 3 tier cake with the top and bottom tiers light blue with darker blue wave borders with a sailboat topper. I wanted the middle tier to look like a life preserver. You know, the white ones with red stripes and a rope going around the outside.

Anyone think this can be pulled off? My main concern is how to attach the rope around the outside of the ring without it falling off. Anyone ever try an effect like this? You know I was thinking of getting pretzel sticks, sharpening them (so I dont have to press too hard on the fondant to insert it, thus deforming it) and then sticking those in the cake halfway, then pressing the fondant rope onto the sticks. Sound like it will hold? Id "glue" it too, obviously, but Im just worried about the weight of the fondant rope making it sag or fall off the cake. Will adding a bit of tylose help?

If this isnt possible just tell me now so I can think of something else. LOL. This is just a thought I had. Thought it might look cool.

I would measure out the outside of the cake and cut it out of paper just so it's there. Take into account the fondant and all, you just just use the pan as measurement. Then make 4 sections of fondant/gumpaste mix rope. Let them dry solid.

On the regular life preserver, the rope is thread through the red parts, so I would use that! use royal icing, or water down some gumpaste so it's really sticky, put the rope ends onto the cake, put your RI or gumpaste on to them and then wrap with the red strip. I would do this before stacking the cakes. Put the ropes on and use something the right height under it to support it while it dries. Lift and stack carefully.

You could also just not have the rope hard. Stack the white ring onto the bottom cake. Make your rope, and still use the red strips to hold it in place, letting the rope kind of sag down onto the bottom cake.

I love your ideas! Now that I think about it, letting the rope sag a bit would probably look more natural. Should I make the red parts out of gumpaste so that its strong enough to hold the rope? If you were doing this, which of the two techniques you just described would you use?

I would probably attempt the first method, break one of the ropes during assembly and end up with the second method

You don't need to make the rope crazy thick, so I think a red fondant/gumpaste mix would hold the rope just fine. Just put something else under it, I really like to make the sticky fondant by adding some water, it's really messy, but it holds so well, then stick the stripe to that. I don't think you would need to do anything else. And with the top resting on the tier below it, it's not going to be pulling away.