Help! I have been practicing my roses and I was having problems because my icing was not stiff enough so my base was hard to work with since it kept tipping or slanting to one direction. I made this last batch stiffer and I am having the same problem. I decided to put my bases in the freezer for a bit and that seemed to help a little. My other problem is that my petals on the outside edge seem a little broken (the frosting does not seem to flow very smoothly from the top of the tear drop) My last batch did this too but everyone at work (my fellow employees have been my guinea pigs) said that it made them look more real that way. I still don't like them. What am I doing wrong or how can I fix them?
i'm thinking your base needs to be bigger. if using a wilton nail, it should cover the area between the writing at the top and bottom edges of the nail. try adding some piping gel to your frosting, that should help with the leaves "fraying"
I like the broken edge personally! I wish mine would do that! As for your tip, you can always open it up a little and see if that helps - just use your rose nail point to pry it open ever so gently, just a little!
Have you tried to mix some white corn-syrup into your icing? It works really well for cracking edges and getting the consitancy right. My roses used to do the same thing, but now they look a lot better.
The rippled edges are usually caused from your icing being to stiff but it sounds like your base was to soft. You kinda want it to look like a hersey kiss, if you make them too skinny they will whobble to the side. Sometimes I use a tip 150 and it helps with the rippled effect, it's just a shade bigger than a 104. You're doing great, it just takes some practice.
Good Luck,
Jenny
Trace a dime on your flower nail. This will give you a guide for how big to make the base of your rose. You also want to make the base only an inch to tall. Too tall or too skinny are things that lead to the leaning affects.
For the ruffled edge you can add a tablespoon of crisco to every cup of stiff icing. It will help make it creamier with out thinning it down.
Have you tried using a Hershey kiss as your base? We were taught in our Wilton class to use a Hershey kiss and it really helps you get started. This is the layering on the nail:
1. Nail
2. dot of icing or florist clay to hold wax paper
3. square of wax paper
4. dot of icing to hold Kiss
5. Kiss
Now just start adding your layers. People love them especially when they get down to the kiss...like an added treat! HTH.
My suggestion to you--before adding to your bc icing--would be to open up the thin end of your tip first. I was having the same problem and someone here told me to do that and "Walaa" no more fraying. I just took the pointy end of the flower nail and opened up all my rose tips.
HTH!
Lisa
I try to make my base look like a hershey kiss but I never thought to use and actual kiss?! I think I will try this. Thanks to the rest of you for your suggestions. I am going to try to open up my tip a little first and I did have a dime traced on my nail but it has washed off so I will do that again too. Maybe my problem is that the base it too high. I will try everthing here and just keep practicing! 
Thanks again
Karrie
I can't really make out the details of you Rose to really answer your questions. However, I would suggest that you add a bit of piping gel to your icing. This will prevent those the edges of The petal from looking like they were chewed on. I find it works great and prevents my rose petals from looking like a caterpillar had a free dinnerat my expense.
I can't really make out the details of you Rose to really answer your questions. However, I would suggest that you add a bit of piping gel to your icing. This will prevent those the edges of The petal from looking like they were chewed on. I find it works great and prevents my rose petals from looking like a caterpillar had a free dinnerat my expense.
I place my wax paper pieces on a cookie sheet and pipe my bases on them...let them air-dry for about an hour, then I dab a bit of icing on my nail add the wax paper with base and pipe my petals. Really makes a difference!
Good luck and dont' forget practice makes perfect...dont' give up!
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