Decorating an 8inch cake with stripes. Anyone know how wide my stripes should be so it's even all the way round? I'm using two colours. 

See if this link works for you:

http://www.onlineconversion.com/circlesolve.htm

If the cake is really 8 inches, type 8 in the diameter box, and click on Solve Others button.

The circumference will be 25.13 inches.

If you want even stripes (say 24), after you divide 25.13 into 24 stripes, you should get stripes of 1.05 inches. There will always be a bit of non-perfection though.

Now, I'm assuming the cake is not really 8 inches; when it bakes, it gets a bit smaller. Then you will probably be adding buttercream. You'd probably want to measure it once it's ready for the stripes, and then type that number into the diameter box.

If you get 9 inches once you've added the buttercream, for example, and you type 9 into the diameter box, you will get a circumference of 28.27 inches. Then you can decide if you want 28 stripes of 1 inch each (and you have a tiny bit left for the imperfect one on the back).

That's amazing. Thank you. 

wow imaginethatnj you are so together -- i just got most of the way around and fudged it

*imagenthatnj

Hey -K8memphis, not that I've done any striped cakes. I answered with that because that's what the OP was asking, and that's how I would probably do it if I had to do one. I'm trying not to be a perfectionist in daily life because it's not good for you, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get cured.

and me i've done more than a few and never got as smart as you but all that to say

you do have to taper the stripes if they go over the top of the edge which leads me to my next thought (ok several thoughts) so i would cover the cake in one color and put the stripes on in the other so it show the contrast without you having to join all these dang stripes up to fit well once you got over the edge if indeed you are going up over the edge

and if your stripes have to be flat together all smoothy smooth without the texture of one being on top -- then you could just mark where your stripes would go and this is where imagenthatnj shines even more with that math thing then go back and paint the stripes in between the lines you impressed on the cake surface -- this is on fondant yes?

I'm covering the cake in a blue/grey fondant and then laying white and blue/grey stripes up the sides. Want the stripes to be as even as possible.