Hi guys...

Here's my first attempt at oriental lillies - not for anything specific, just playing around... just wondering if there is anyone out there that can shed any light on how to make these realistic - and how to avoid breaking the petals!! I would hate to have to make dozens of these for a wedding!

PS: sorry about the "stand" the display is sitting on... just happened to be the closest thing for it to stand on.

I'm no expert, but i think they look pretty darn real to me!

I don't consider myself to be an expert, I just love making them. The only thing I would suggest would be a bit more ruffling on the petals, not a lot, but enough to give the flower some movement. And I would add a few accent dots and stripes with a burgundy petal dust thinned just a bit with some alcohol.

Here is a gorgeous example of an Oriental Lily.
http://www.q7.com/~erasmus/images/lilies_2005/oriental_lily_fellowship.jpg

As you can see the ends fold under and the burgundy color is in dots as well as delicate stripes going from the center up each petal.

Are you having problems with breakage as they dry, or when you are taping them together? I wire mine and dry each petal over a Wilton former, if you don't have one but you can cut an empty paper towel roll in half lengthwise.

Hey Shirley, thanks for that.

The drying part isnt hard - I use a tupperware container - just like the curve it gives them. they tend to break when I start colouring them.. I tried dipping but that was ridiculous - lost so many petals... so went back to dusting -- think I have a bad habit of rolling my paste too thin for dipping... and then they break when dusting as I rub them with colour... there is flecks of the dots on them - just doesn't show too much in this pic.

A couple broke when I was taping them, but that was probably me being the clutz that I am... I see what you mean with the pic - with the ruffling - maybe the stamen needed to be bent also...

Oh well... can only get better from here I guess.

Thanks again

-- Fi

They don't appear to be rolled too thin from what I can see in the photo. I think it also depends on your gumpaste recipe, as much as I like working with Nic Lodge's Tylose recipe I do find the flower petals to be very brittle and they do break easily. But on drying them on the Tupperware, are you allowing them to dry on both sides beofre dusting them? I am wondering if there is moisture building up between the gumpaste and the plastic surface. I would remove them from the Tupperware when they have dried firmly on one side, turn them over and let the backs air dry as well.

Fiona
I took a flower class recently where the teacher showed us to tape the flower petals together into a flower while they are still fresh. She basically only allows the petals to dry a little while the other petals are being made, but as soon as she is finished she starts taping them straight away.
I thought this would be very difficult to do, but i do that all the time now, as it allows your petals to fit in together much better, as they are still soft and you can move them into place.

cheers
Nati

Yeah... they are totally dry... I use a tylose gumpaste recipe and these petals are thicker than what I would usually roll... i tend to like things to be really delicate - which is fine for small flowers, but obviously not for large ones...

Hey Nati

That's really interesting... how would the petals hold their curve if they have been taped before they are totally dry?

Fiona
The petals are wired almost to the top, and the wire can hold the curve. Also by the time you tape them together they've dried a little so they keep some shape. I dont think it's that important for these particular flowers you're doing, but for tulips, i found it an invaluable tip. I made petals for about 10 tulips (that's about 60 petals) before i was told about this, and when i finally got to assemble them, i could put together only 2 or three and had to re-do the rest, as the petals were not the right shape, and the darn things looked like little squares!!!
a nightmare!!!!
cheers
Nati

I agree with Shirley. A little more ruffling and accents made with some food dye (the dots), as well as curving the stamen ever so slighty. I do mine VERY thin - you can't really ever get past some breakage - I usually just make a couple of extra petals. I dry the on an overturned flower former or on some pillow stuffing (what you would use to make a pillow), and I don't handle them at ALL until 100% dry. I lay them in the palm of my hand while dusting, and don't handle by the wire. I wire them upside down, which also seems to reduce breakage. Just take your time. After they are assembled, I dust with superpearl and give quick steam.

I think you did a wonderful job.They look so real to me .