I'm trying some new flower nail flowers - doing well with the roses. Was successful with bachelor buttons and carnations. Have been trying the mums with buttercream using the Wilton directions. I get the center piped OK, then start with the petals using tip 81. The first row seems OK, mostly because they are sticking to the wax paper but as I start adding more rows, I can't get the petal to break off the tip - so they are too long and have a raggedy point. I've stopped the squeezing but it still won't detach. Is my icing too stiff - I'm using the same consistency as I used for roses - and it's HARD to get it thru that narrow tip. Can't imaging that my icing is too thin - but could this be the problem? Or is it just that I don't have the right pressure quite yet?

Any ideas?

I've made them in the past. This is normal. When you are piping, do you start at the bottom of the mound, piping the petal around, then pipe the next layer of petals on top until you reach the the top, using short sqeezed petals. Sounds like your frosting is fine. Keep practicing piping the petal, it get better. HTH
Hammy

it does sound like your icing is too stiff. i like mine between med. and stiff.. i teach wilton at michaels.. at you say.. use the 81 tip... hook up to the center every time.. and hold your bag up more as you go up the center.. and shorter petals as you go up.. be sure to close in the very top with really short petal.. hth