String Work

Decorating By splash2splat Updated 4 Mar 2010 , 11:12pm by nannie

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splash2splat Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 2:47pm
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I was watching a re-run of the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show and they showed a couple of cakes that had string work but no ledges - how did they accomplish this?

Does anone know?

53 replies
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luddroth Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:01pm
post #2 of 54

Toba Garrett's book, The Well Decorated Cake, has introductory explanations for making ledges. She uses egg-white royal icing (recipe in the book) and pipes swags at marked spaces along the sides of the cake, then overpipes them multiple times, attaching each string to the outer edge of the previous layer. After 5 or 6 layers, drying in between, she uses a damp paintbrush and a little more royal to smooth out the ledges. She then attaches strings from the cake sides to the ledges. It's incredibly tedious, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier.

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:15pm
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No ledges, are you certain...? That would seem impossible.

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splash2splat Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:21pm
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Yeah I'm pretty sure they said no ledges (one of the judges mentioned this - thats why I'm asking I can't figure out how you would do string work with out a ledge.

One of the cakes looked like maybe they used hat pins or something and draped the icing on that and then did the string work. But there was one other that the judges mentioned no ledge be used and how difficult that was.

So if anyone knows how to do that I would love to know.

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luddroth Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:30pm
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Ooops. Sorry -- I mis-read the OP and gave a non-responsive answer. My bad.

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dailey Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:38pm
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well i've never tried it personally but Toba Garret talks about doing bridgeless string work in her book.

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 3:50pm
post #7 of 54

any pics that show what you are talking about?

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nannie Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:00pm
post #8 of 54

I saw that last night too.

You're right, there wasn't a ledge.

I think it was Lori Cossou's pickets and posies

here is a link and scroll down for the pic. can't get a close up tho.

http://www.oksugarartshow.com/directory.html

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dailey Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:07pm
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here is another cake by the same artist that shows the bridgeless technique closer up...(click on the first cake)

http://www.oklahomasugarartists.com/images/2007/mywebalbum/index.html

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:10pm
post #10 of 54

I found a bigger pic

http://www.jenniferscakecreations.com/images/Oklahoma%20Sugar%20Art%20Show%202006/Professional/ProTieredCakes-Lori%20Cossou%20%28web%29.jpg

There had to be something that skirted around the bottom of the cake and supported the bottom bridge and then was removed later after all the string work was dry... but I can't figure out what or how.

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:12pm
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You know straight whiskers of unbreakable gel might hold the bottom bridge( you can almost see each joint at the upturn) and then once dry the string work would be as usual...?

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aundrea Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:16pm
post #12 of 54

wow- what a cake. just amazing to see that kind of talent.

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sweetflowers Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:32pm
post #13 of 54

I have a book on how to do that. It's called Floating on Air, or something like that. It's bridgeless extension work. If I remember correctly, you pipe a string to support the extension strings, and then use a damp paint brush to remove the original supporting string, leaving just the extension. I missed the show last night, but I'm pretty sure that's what you are talking about.

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bobwonderbuns Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:33pm
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I know, that's an amazing talent to do that kind of stringwork. Funny thing, I want to try most every technique in sugar I come across -- except that one! icon_biggrin.gif

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splash2splat Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:45pm
post #15 of 54

Sweet flowers -

do you know where I can get that book? And if you don't mind can you double check the title and author.

Thank you

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:45pm
post #16 of 54

From where to where would this temporary sting have to be located?

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bobwonderbuns Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 4:58pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by splash2splat

Sweet flowers -

do you know where I can get that book? And if you don't mind can you double check the title and author.

Thank you




Here you go: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1402717733/?tag=cakecentral-20

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dailey Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 5:17pm
post #18 of 54

okay, just looked in toba's book and didn't see any info about this. i think i got mistaken with another book called "the art of sugarcraft, piping" by norma laver. she has a small paragraph about extension work without a bridge. "this is done by piping from a line of the cake to the rim of a cake tin. when the icing is dry, the cake is removed from on top of the tin and the extension work remains unsupported."

too bad she doesn't go into more detail about this...

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bobwonderbuns Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 5:22pm
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In Toba's "the well decorated cake" book it's on pages 63 - 66 under the heading of bridge and extension work. In her "Professional Cake Decorating" book it's on pages 160 - 173.

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sweetflowers Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 5:26pm
post #20 of 54

I think it's by Donna Wong, but I'm not sure. The style mentioned above that Toba does is also a possibility, but doesn't look like what Lori did on her cake.

There a couple way to do bridgeless extension work, and only Lori would know what she actually did, but here's my guess....and it's only a guess so please forgive me if I'm completely off.

Pins can be placed around the cake at intervals and a string piped from pin to pin a certain distance from the cake. when dry the extension work can be done and when dry the pins removed. At that point the string should stay put, you can either dissolve the original string or pipe over it with bead work.

I've done floating collar work where small pieces of styrofoam is used to hold up the collar while string are piped from the collar to the cake, then the strofoam is removed and the remaining stringwork piped in, it's similar to this.

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splash2splat Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 5:35pm
post #21 of 54

Sadsmile what is unbreakable gel???

I can't seem to find the book by Donna Wong - do you know where I might be able to find it?

Thank you guys for all your help

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FierceConfections Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 5:40pm
post #22 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetflowers

Pins can be placed around the cake at intervals and a string piped from pin to pin a certain distance from the cake. when dry the extension work can be done and when dry the pins removed. At that point the string should stay put, you can either dissolve the original string or pipe over it with bead work.




Maybe I'm misunderstanding this, but wouldn't the icing dry to the pin? And if it did, wouldn't it break when you take the pin out of the cake? How would you go about detaching a dried string from a pin?

I am fascinated by this!

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 6:48pm
post #23 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobwonderbuns

In Toba's "the well decorated cake" book it's on pages 63 - 66 under the heading of bridge and extension work. In her "Professional Cake Decorating" book it's on pages 160 - 173.




The pages in "The Well Decorated Cake" are about drop string work, not bridge work, let alone bridge-less bridge work. Is it the other book?

It wouldn't stick to the pin if the pin had some Pam on it. but wouldn't you notice a pin hole once it's removed?

Unbreakable gel dries clear and strong, but it a pain to pipe out. There was a thread just the other day about that stuff.

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splash2splat Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 6:48pm
post #24 of 54

I found the book its Floating on Air: Simple Guide to Fixed and Floating Extension Work and Other Decorating Techniques by Linda Wong

Thanks SweetFlowers

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sweetflowers Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 7:00pm
post #25 of 54

Linda Wong, well, I was close...I haven't looked at the book in years. There were a few ways to do the work and it was stunning in the book.

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bobwonderbuns Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 7:58pm
post #26 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadsmile

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobwonderbuns

In Toba's "the well decorated cake" book it's on pages 63 - 66 under the heading of bridge and extension work. In her "Professional Cake Decorating" book it's on pages 160 - 173.



The pages in "The Well Decorated Cake" are about drop string work, not bridge work, let alone bridge-less bridge work. Is it the other book?




The question was where does Toba discuss stringwork/bridgework. I merely gave the reference.

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sadsmile Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 8:07pm
post #27 of 54

Well I think you may have taken my tone wrong... I was disappointed because it wasn't in the book I have. Not trying to be short with you. Though I am short... icon_wink.gif

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bobwonderbuns Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 8:08pm
post #28 of 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadsmile

Well I think you may have taken my tone wrong... I was disappointed because it wasn't in the book I have. Not trying to be short with you. Though I am short... icon_wink.gif




We're good. icon_smile.gif

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tatorchip Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 8:16pm
post #29 of 54
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malakainrop Posted 24 Feb 2010 , 8:33pm
post #30 of 54

Its called floating extension work - BIG in Australia

Where are all those Aussie girls? Sure they will be able to give you all the info.

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