Sewing Machine Cake

Decorating By sweetbitescakes Updated 21 Jan 2014 , 4:11am by mena2002

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sweetbitescakes Posted 29 Sep 2009 , 10:48pm
post #1 of 12

Hi, I am new to cake central, and only hope I am doing this right... I posted a photo of a sewing machine cake that I made 3 weeks ago, the response has been very encouraging! It's nice to know there are others out there who are as obsessed with cake as I am.

I have had a lot of requests for instructions and only wish I'd thought to take photos at the different stages of construction. I hope explaining how I did it and adding a couple of pics as visual aids is sufficient.

Days before the cake had to be put together, I made the pins, cottons, screws, machine foot, buttons, silver thread holders and hand wheel out of flowerpaste. The wheel had to be supported on a saucer to get the shape. I taped (florist tape) 4 wires together (as in parts pic) they went through the wheel and were covered with a silver circle. So they weren't seen. this allowed the wheel to be pushed into the cake just above the support board. I suppose very firm royal icing would have held it in place but wasn't prepared to risk it.

I borowed an old machine off my father-in-law. I was careful to have the cake be an exact replica size wise. My father-in-law then kindly cut me a wooden support the exact shape of the cross bar of the machine. He also made dowels cut to size and put holes into the support board for the dowels to slot into. I covered the support board with cake paper as cake was going directly onto it. The twin thin dowels I painted with silver food dust mixed with vodka. They became the needle and foot part of the machine.
I baked an 8inch by 11 inch chocolate mucake. Covered it with white chocolate buttercream and beige coloured fondant which I painted with brown colouring paste mixed with vodka to resemble a wooden board for the machine to sit on. When it was dry I put on the black bottom plate of the machine. I did this by coloring chocolate fondant black, and rolling it out between layers of baking paper. Its hard to handle black icing and I find this works everytime! I peeled off one layer. Cut the fondant to a rectangle shape and dampened the surface a little. - then using the paper to pick up the icing, flip it over onto the 'wooden board' cake and eased it into place before smoothing down with the cake smoother.
Then I baked a second cake. I cut this into 3x 4inch circles by using a small cake board as a pattern. I layered the cakes with more buttercream, carved them to resemble the gentle curve of the machine stand. Chilled. Then placed them onto the already prepared 'wooden board' (1st cake). Then inserted the fattest dowel into the middle.
Next, I inserted the 'needle' parts - pushed the thiner dowels into the 'wooden board' (1st cake) and added the foot. I then placed the support board onto the dowels and slotted them into position. I then cut and shaped the cake to go onto the support board.
The part of the machine above the neddle part but below the support board could not be cake. I couldn't guarantee that it would stay up, so I cut it from polystyrene and taped it to the underneath of the supprt board. Covered it with cake paper and then buttercreamed the entire cake again, including the small poystyrene part. Using more of the black coloured chocolate fondant. I cut and covered the poystyrene part of the machine and the base on the right. Then rolled out (again between sheets of baking paper) enough fondant to cover the cake above the support board. Smoothed it all down as best I could and allowed it to dry.
Next, I added the screws, the hand wheel and all thread holders etc... I mixed gold powder with vodka and painted on the logo and design around the machine plate (I did this all free hand and it may have been better if I marked it out, but nevermind)
The pin cushion is more of the left over cake, covered with jam and buttercream and then red fondant.
The 'lace' is thinly rolled fondant with stitch lines, showing out the back of the needle and foot part. no stitch lines front of the foot as that hasn't been 'sewn'.
I really enjoyed making this project and was delighted with how well it came together - I had envisioned a real nightmare working with the black icing.

I hope this helps anyone attempting to make a similar cake - let me know how you get on!
LL
LL
LL
LL
LL

11 replies
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Lcubed82 Posted 29 Sep 2009 , 10:53pm
post #2 of 12

I love your cake! I want to try one. Thanks for the description!

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Hitch Posted 29 Sep 2009 , 11:23pm
post #3 of 12

Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Lyn (Hitch)

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licia Posted 28 Mar 2011 , 8:41pm
post #4 of 12

Thanks for sharing this tutorial for the sewing machine cake!

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susie1 Posted 22 Nov 2011 , 9:31pm
post #5 of 12

WOW! Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial on making a sewing machine. Can't wait to try it.

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Uniqueask Posted 22 Nov 2011 , 10:19pm
post #6 of 12

Thank you for sharing, it is greatly appreciated!

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bobwonderbuns Posted 10 Apr 2012 , 2:10am
post #7 of 12

This is AWESOME!! Thank you sooo much for sharing!! icon_biggrin.gif

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Abeera Posted 11 Apr 2012 , 4:20pm
post #8 of 12

wooooooow

great work

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sweetideas Posted 11 Apr 2012 , 4:35pm
post #9 of 12

Amazing! Looks so much like my grandmother's machine!

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jgifford Posted 11 Apr 2012 , 4:46pm
post #10 of 12

Really? This looks exactly like my mother's machine that I learned to sew on. Amazing job and thank you for posting instructions!

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momsgoodies Posted 11 Apr 2012 , 4:57pm
post #11 of 12

Amazing job!!! Thanks for sharing.

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mena2002 Posted 21 Jan 2014 , 4:11am
post #12 of 12

Thank you for sharing!

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