I've been decorating cakes now for 8 yrs & have never taken a class. I've been asked to do a wedding cake in Oct. ( a whole other thread I've just posted - Victorian....) and feel an overwhelming urge to get MORE experience in this. I do have dreams of owning my own shop someday when the kiddos are older. Here's the shocker, I don't even know how to do a basic BC rose/flower. The only flowers I've done are freehand drawn filled in w/star tips. I've also done the itty bitty royal icing flowers. I have the daisy cutters for fondant flowers but have never used them.

I want to take the Fondant & Tiered Cakes class....but, since I don't even know how to do the flowers, should I take the Flowers & Borders class first?

I'm a pretty quick learner & would love to just pay someone to come out to my home one day & just teach me a few flowers & discuss/demonstrate transporting & assembly of tiered cakes or I would even be willing to travel some. But I know that is probably not possible. I don't feel I need to start at Course I, but will if I must, but time is somewhat of an issue here. Also, I have a baby on dialysis at home nightly, so that is a big reason for only wanting to do ONE class.

Any thoughts? I'm in Northwestern Louisiana.

Thanks,
Crystal
SAHMommy to Madison (9, HLHS), Natalie (5, Healthy), Neveah (1, renal dysplasia), & 1 angel (m/c on 11/15/0

If you're wanting to do flowers, I would recommend taking the Flowers and Borders class first. I just finished that class and you learn how to make a TON of different royal icing flowers (including a rose). We also did two buttercream flowers, but the actual buttercream rose you learn in Course 1. The royal icing roses looked a lot better and cleaner, in my opinion.

You're already looking at probably the best cake course anywhere!

what with all the threads and links to other sites and youtube videos (great source!), you should be able to self teach yourself.

from youtube (just flowers)
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cake+decorating+flowers&search_type=&aq=f

and if you search "cake decoration" over 3,000 videos.

For starters here on CC: take a look at all the info under the "ARTICLES" tab at top. lots of valuable info there:

then these are some threads just packed with info:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-605188-sps.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-603925-sps.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-1353.html
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-588591.html

and so you can make sense of all our abbreviations:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-588591.html

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just keep on asking, and the crew here will keep on answering.

A. What Doug says, and B....

I have not taken Wilton courses for years, and I think it depends on the instructor, but -way back when- I was taking them, you had to move through the ranks... you could not take Course 2 without taking Course 1, etc. I've heard of some people who have proven to the instructor that they have mastered Course 1 without formal classes and then have been allowed to skip to Course 2. I'm not sure you'd get what you need by October if you are forced to move through the levels in order.

That being said, I'd utilize YouTube tutorials until you decide whether or not you want to take classes. There are many, many great video tutorials out there and all you have to do is type your need into the search box. If you type in "buttercream roses" into the search engin, you have a bazillion matches come up. Our Tonedna here on CC (Edna) has many tutorials out there as well. She's a cake angel.

Also, much of what I have learned, I have learned not from Wilton courses, but from books and videos. I'm blessed to have a good library system that stocks many cake decorating books on their shelves. You might get lucky in that arena.

Best of luck! You can do it! Have fun along the way --it's just cake.

It's been some 8 yrs since I last taught Wilton but........
each course (1,2,3, then fondant/gp) is built on what you learn in the previous 4 classes.
It probably would be good for you to take all of the Wilton courses right thru 1-3+f/gp.
With the right instructor (look for an older person ) you can learn lots - - usually has much more experience and will give more hints & tips.
Yes, there probably will be much you already know but maybe you aren't doing things like holding the tip or bag properly or some other little thing that would make doing it much easier. I say you can't learn too much!

Yup, the Wilton classes here make you move through the courses, 1,2,3, then Fondant and Gumpaste-

However, that being said- my instructor let me take course one and fondant at the same time due to my years of decorating already- I couldn't master the rose despite youtube and just needed the instructor standing over me pointing out my little mistakes that turned the rose to crap. She was great, I brought photos of my buttercream cakes and my fondant cakes and said- I just can't do a rose. She said- ya you can take them at the same time. She said no to course 1 and 2 at the same time, but 1 and fondant was a go.

See if you could do that.

Our Michaels is having sales on their classes now to get people in. (I think last month each course was 12 bucks, this month they are 22 bucks and I thinkn next month they are 20 bucks- not sure though, trying to remember the flyers) Now might be the perfect time to sign up.

The Wilton instructor at my Michaels told me she likes people to take Course 1 and 2 in order, but you can take either Course 3 or F&G after that. I'm starting F&G next month, and then I'll take course 3 in September.

I am a wilton instructor and I dont make my students take course 1 if they already have experience and know the techniques we do. After course 1, you can take any of the classes you want, in any order. Probably the best thing to do would be to call your local store and talk to the instructor. Its really her call as to what to do. Hope that helps.

Every instructor you ask will give you a different answer for the most part.

The "rule" is that you are to take Course 1 first, then you can move on to any of the other classes.

I personally don't care. If you take them in order, backwards, or standing on your head while chewing gum.

If someone feels they are above the skills we do in course 1 then I'll let them do any of the courses. If it's a struggle they usually go back and do course 1, then redo the course (it's always C2 or C3) they originally took (at their own cost).

Definitely talk to your instructor where you plan on taking classes with because she may or may not care what you sign up for.