Last night I had my first class of Wilton Course 2 and I feel like such a dummy! I couldn't do anything I felt like. My instructor is very good and very helpful it is just me! I couldn't make a rosebud to save my life. I hold my tip and bag wrong, she showed me about 10 times and I still couldn't get it! I also wasn't happy with the reverse shell border I did and I was so excited to learn that! I guess I will just have to practice, practice! I guess I thought the rose would be so hard and once I starting getting that I felt like the rest wouldn't be as hard as that! 
Thanks for listening to my frustrations!
okay well if it makes you feel any better, I think I am pretty good at cake decorating and I cant get the hang of the reverse shell or the rose bud either!! Some things come easily and naturally, and other things dont. The other think I cant do very well are the drop flowers....arent those supposed to be like the easiest! LOL!
I haven't gone to the classes as of yet but plan to very soon. I recommend getting the practice board set if you don't already have it, I believe it comes in one of the course kits possibly course kit 1 or 2. I also recommend getting the How to make Flowers video from Wilton it's $20.~ and has helped alot! And you got it PRACTICE!!!!!! Everynight when ya get home from work or whenever you have free time just take some BC and practice the things you're having trouble with. I haven't gone to any classes at all everything I know is self taught or taught by watching video's I'm one of those ones that have to have a visual teacher weather a person or a video teaching me something so I learn it. I can't just read and look at pictures and get it right. Good luck and relax it's ok take a few breaths and relax! I've heard it's only hard if you make it hard 
As an instructor myself, I feel for you. I have so many students get absolutely mad over the rose bud. Please keep in mind, there in class we are there to show the technique not to master it. So yes practice, practice, practice. 
I CAN di it. 
If you'd like me to try and walk you through it just let me know. Hope you feel better.
Just keep practicing! I have been decorating for several years now, and for the life of me I cannot do the reverse shell nor a simple little drop flower!!!
Find what you do well, and make that your signature. Just like any artist, some are good with watercolors, some are good with metal work, etc...
We can't be all things (as much as we would like!)
with enough practice and patience, you will learn.
I think the rosebud is one of the hardest flowers too. I am still very new as well, but like you, i cant do these to save my life either.
I also tried to do drop flowers onto a cake...yeah right! that wasnt happening! I had much better luck doing them in RI, but I really dont like to make 2 kinds of icing to make 1 cake...it can get expensive when it is a favor or a hobbie!
hang in there, It will get better and soon it will be old hat! 
I almost stopped taking the classes because I couldn't get the hang of doing roses. It will get easier with practice, I promise!! Hope this makes you feel a little better-
Bettyboop have you tried letting your drop flowers made out of bc air dry before placing on the cake. Then you are using one kind of icing. It works and they will melt in the mounth easier. HTH All new sugar moves takes practice be it with bc or gumpaste etc. Practice - practice and more practice.
Bettyboop have you tried letting your drop flowers made out of bc air dry before placing on the cake. Then you are using one kind of icing. It works and they will melt in the mounth easier. HTH
thanks!!! I did not know to do that!
I understand your frustration as I have been decorating cakes for the last 4-5 years. Took all 3 Wilton classes, bought their flowers tape, been at BEN ISRAEL's work shops on Gum Paste flowers, bought the Wilton Flowers kit (including step by step on making the blessed flowers), right now I am taking another course on the same and cannot take domain of these techniques!!! Take a look at my cakes and then tell me why I cannot make flowers like everyone else!! Maybe because I am not a flower person??? I really don't care about them even when my DH or my children give them to me.
Thanks so much for all the encouragement and advice!! I am just glad to hear that I am not the only one who has trouble with these things!! I saved my icing from last night and I am going to practice!! At least my instructor is patient and helpful because then I couldn't imagine if she wasn't! Thanks again everyone!
I feel your frustration!! Been there done that and see it all the time in my classes.
The rose bud and reverse shell are tricky. Keep working on them and hopefully it will click for you.
The rose bud uses different postions than you are use to holding the bag with, so that adds to it. Also I think the two things people usually do wrong with it is make the bottom petal too big. If it is too large then it doesn't match the top petal and looks weird. Also when making the top petal you are just moving the bag from left to right (or right to left) not dropping it down. A lot of my students end up making the top petal in a U-ish shape, instead of straight across.
It doesn't make you less of a cake decorate if you can't do these things. We all have our own style and these just may be things that aren't part of your style of decorating.
And as was said above, 99% of people that take the Wilton classes are not going to master it in the month they are in that class. For the majority of us, it will take a lot longer to really get the techinques down.
I feel your frustration!! Been there done that and see it all the time in my classes.
The rose bud and reverse shell are tricky. Keep working on them and hopefully it will click for you.
The rose bud uses different postions than you are use to holding the bag with, so that adds to it. Also I think the two things people usually do wrong with it is make the bottom petal too big. If it is too large then it doesn't match the top petal and looks weird. Also when making the top petal you are just moving the bag from left to right (or right to left) not dropping it down. A lot of my students end up making the top petal in a U-ish shape, instead of straight across.
It doesn't make you less of a cake decorate if you can't do these things.
We all have our own style and these just may be things that aren't part of your style of decorating.
And as was said above, 99% of people that take the Wilton classes are not going to master it in the month they are in that class. For the majority of us, it will take a lot longer to really get the techinques down.
That is one of the problems I have with the rosebud is the akward holding of the bag. Also the reverse shell is it just a shell in an S shape. I already forget from last night, lol!
I feel for you also. I begged my sister and husband to take the classes with me cause all the rest were full and the instructor said she would start another one if I could get two more people. Well my sister and husband did alot better than I did. They knocked those flowers out like nobodies business. The only flower I can make is a rose. Go figure! I can't make a drop flower to save my life. Can't make reverse shells either. Practice, practice, practice. Hopefully one day I'll get it.
Ok maybe it's because I'm nearly 9 months pregnant(hormones), or I am an instructor, but my heart goes to you all. The drop flower is thee easiest flower taught! Would you give this a try? With tip 2D in a bag with medium consistency, hold the bag at 90% to you cake/board. The tip of will be slightly resting on the serface, squeeze until you get the desired diameter. (stopping BEFORE the petals ripple) Stop pressure and (if working on the practice board, hold down the plastic) lift straight up. If doing the swirl flower, same motion but your putting in a twist. Start with your knuckles(the ones that connect your fingers to your hand) pointing to 12 o'clock. Squeeze and twice at the SAME time. Spinning your knuckles to 3 o'clock. Stop pressure and lift straight up. Of course the tip 3 will be for the center dot. Now if you're doing this straight on a cake, you'll have to smudge the buttercream to get rid of the crusted part of the frosting on the cake. Otherwise the flower will stick to the bag and not the cake. I do hope this helps. Please don't give up on such an easy flower.
Sorry I let my hormones get the better of me. You can do this!
I felt the same way when I went to my first class. The harder stuff, I seemed to be able to get right away. the simple star and flowers drove me crazy. The more I tried the worse they looked. Oh well. I still can't do my reverse shell all that well. But I still keep at it when the mood hits me. keep going.
The reverse shell border is a combination of part of a question mark (?) and part of an S. You will start with making a question mark but do NOT add a dot then overlapping the little tail end just barely start making a capital S but stop just before it makes a C, leaving a little tail on it I hope this helps and is understandable, it's hard to put into words what one does with motions
LOL! And the more I learn about cake decorating, and decorators, I see that everyone has their forte, something they're really good at. And some things they're not so good at. Think of it as developing a signature style.
I just took the time to go thru all your photos and I have to say you are great!!! Your icing gets so smooth and flawless and your writing!!!!! omg you have the prettiest writing!!!
The reverse shell border is a combination of part of a question mark (?) and part of an S. You will start with making a question mark but do NOT add a dot
then overlapping the little tail end just barely start making a capital S but stop just before it makes a C, leaving a little tail on it I hope this helps and is understandable, it's hard to put into words what one does with motions
Thank you that helps, I will have to practice these tonight!!
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