I have been working with fondant for about 2 years now, both Wilton brand and homemade MMF. For some reason it ALWAYS ends up with folds, dents and cracks!! I can never achieve a completely smooth edge. What is the secret??
I mostly do cakes for birthdays and baby showers, so I can hide the folds with decorations and ribbons. But I am doing a wedding cake this weekend and I'm nervous! I got the Satin Ice brand this time, that's what my old roommate uses and she says its a better quality fondant.
Any other advice? What am I doing wrong? Please help!

I will like to know the answer to this as well...

Me too! I always have to cover the edges with something, Especially if its a square cake.

Make sure your buttercream/ganache under neath is as smooth as you can possibly get it, The smoother this is, the smoother your fondant will be. Allow it to crust WELL

Invest in two smoothers, not just one, This helps get nice crisp edging.

Dont roll your fondant to thin, if its too thin it will tear. But also, try not to have it so thick that the weight of itself pulls it down.

Keep practising, It isnt that hard to get right, once you get the technique down, once youve got that, your laughing

Heres a few vids to help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbU5O1YRjBI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp1pOvCvjmM&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPc3R6KQ9rQ&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyRy2QX2wKo&feature=related

Do you mean at the bottom/base edge of the cake? Do you have the cake on a base directly on the table, or is it raised up with something underneath to get under the bottom edges? The same issues used to happen to me, until I started placing a 2inch smaller cake pan under my cake, then placing the fondant on and smoothing the sides down and under the base board.
I've NEVER used Wilton for rolling -just for small items in a cake class. I think it's very dry, and cuts your working time down considerably. I started mixing a chocolate fondant with satin ice for more working time, and it's made a big difference! The fats from the chocolate really help with the dryness. There are lots more fondant brands out there that are known for being more soft/moist, so I want to experiment with those soon.

Also, I hardly use any powdered sugar or cornstarch which dries out the surface quickly -just enough so it doesn't stick when rolling. I also roll on a non-stick mat I can lift up and over the cake. Sorry for the rambling!

Edited to add: Sharon Zambito and Jennifer Dontz have EXCELLENT fondant DVD's for all these issues!!

i much prefer to cover with fondant when the cake is on the bench rather than lifted up, so the weight does drag it down, thats just my personal preference. I know alot of people like you sweetsbykim, Who prefer to allow the fondant hang over and then trim it all round so you get a flush cut. As before, its all about practise and finding what works for you best

Hey there
When you do a square cake start with the corners then when all corners are done do the sides this prevents folds also for round cakes smooth from top down only an inch then go all the way round only an inch then do the next inch down the whole way round and keep doing this til you are at the bottom-if you go from top to bottom then move round and do top to bottom again you will end up with the last bit having a fold - hope that made sense

I do like marknelliesmum does, plus I make sure my fondant is pliable enough that it splays out from the bottom of the cake onto the board. With enough pliability, I can stretch that last bit to get out all the little folds at the bottom.

Thanks for all the input and keep it coming!!
Cath- Thanks for the videos....I think my past problem may be rolling the fondant too thin. I will try to make it a lil thicker this time. I'll let you know how it turns out. =)

Good luck SweetVee, Happy Caking x