not sure if that's what they are called, but I can't do those drop flowers where you turn your wrist 1/4 turn to save my life. I'm new to all this, but just noticed that there is a tip that looks like it does the swirl for you. I think tips 106, 107?? Has anyone tried these and do they really work better than just using the closed star tips and trying to swirl them yourself?
thanks!
I'm not sure about the tips, but I find that 1/4 turn is too much for me to get a good looking drop flower. I use a lot of pressure and instead of twisting from 9-12 (the clock positions), I only twist about 9-11. I had a heck of a time getting them right at first, but that technique seems to work best for me. HTH
Depending on the size you want. I JUST tried these over the weekend. No pictures yet--they are drying. I used 2D w/large coupler. They were tricky at first., but once you get the hang of it, I think they are pretty and delicate. I ran out of parchment and tried wax paper---not ever again. I went and got parchment and it is so much easier. I am thinking of using a lazy susan next time b/c my hand was killing me from the turning. I would also say try to squeeze more icing out while turning to get a fuller flower.
I wanted smaller flowers too, but the small drop tip one was hard to manage. I think I ended up using a star tip.
I used royal icing. I am hoping I can use the same method w/bc in case the day I am decorating with the flowers something goes awry. I will try to post some picts soon.
Any closed star tip will work. 2D is what you practice with in the courses, bigger helps you see when trying something out. Sometimes, so I found, it's all in finding someone who explains it in a way that "clicks" in your head. So here's my attempt. This was how my instructor showed me, over and over and over, until I figured it out. The whole clock positions confused me on this one so I started looking at my knuckles. - Hold the bag so your wrist is curled, as though your fingers are trying to touch your arm. (This puts my knuckles at about 8 on a clock) As you squeeze you slowly roll your wrist so that it is straight out. (Between the 11 and 12)One other thing is, in this particular move, the tip actually touches the surface. Stop squeezing as you lift up. Once you get one down the rest will be....Cake 
(Sorry, couldn't resist )
Hope this helps - remember practice is all you need
Oh, I soooo wish I could do these flowers! They are so cute and look great on the cake but I cannot, for the life of me, get it right. They always come out like.... well, really bad. 
Always squeeze before you start turning or the petals will droop. Also go ahead and fill the center with a dot of icing...you might be surprised at how they look.. Dont give up you can get them down I am convinced...
Good luck,
Mel,
glad I am not alone in being totally incompetent when it comes to these flowers I tried tip 2D, but just kept getting a big blob. I know, practice, practice, practice, but it's so frustrating!! I did order tip 106 and 107 from cake central because it looks like they already have the swirl to them, so I'm hoping those come out better.
CakeDiva, your cakes are beautiful!!
I love these flowers! At first I had a really hard time teaching myself how to make them, but all of a sudden it clicked! My best advice is use a coupler!!! If you a tip inserted into the bag, there isn't enough stability when you have the tip resting on the parchment. I haven't had a problem with wax (vs) parchment paper, but I do make sure to tape it securely to a cake board. I usually do these in royal icing, all sizes...the tiny ones are my favorite! However, I just recently tried these with buttercream, let them dry overnight, and although they are more fragile, they were great to work with - any no hard "crunch!"
I tried using tip 224 yesterday and it worked for small flowers. I also used the star tips to play around with the extra icing. Some look more like snowflakes but I will still use them. Lavendar snowflakes--no one will have a problem.
I used to have aching wrists, but then realized I shouldn't fill my bag as full as I was. The less pressure you have to exert while twisting, the better, at least for me. Also, don't crank your wrist around hard, don't force it, let it be more like a natural unwinding. Start by holding the bag upright, tip down on your surface. Curl hand inward, towards body, counter clockwise for right-handers, but only a quarter turn or less. With tip on surface, gently squeeze icing out, and "unwind." Stop squeezing when your flower is done (don't keep cranking your hand back until it's uncomfortable!), pick up tip. I learned that it is all about relaxing the wrist muscles, not having too much icing in the bag (less than half full), and just going with the flow. I can now do 500 or more flowers without realizing I was that far along!
That's a lot of flowers. I can do these but am no pro so I've enjoyed this listing.
I too had trouble with these seemingly simple flowers until I sat down and just cranked out several dozen of them one night (was DETERMINED to get them down!). I almost always ended up with a blob of icing that didnt resemble much of anything.
I tried thinner icing
I tried thicker icing
I tried piping gel
None of them worked. So....much to my dismay I decided it must be - gulp - ME! (or rather ME2....read my sig <g>
So since I had pretty much eliminated icing as the problem I tried several techniques for making the flowers.
I tried squeezing harder (got a BIG blob)
I tried squeezing softer (got a flat blip)
I tried turning further (got a tall blob)
I tried turning shorter (not too bad, but still didn't look like a flower)
It wasn't until I tried turning SLOWER!! that I got it!!! Turns out I was moving too fast for the petals to form. Now I can do them just fine!
Hope that helps!
ME2 that is too funny.....I could do that too, hubby is MK and I would be MK2........I always laugh because my hubby is one of 5 kids all with M names, I told him later I didnt know it was a prereq to have an M name just to date him....haha.......didnt carry on the tradition with my son though...all the good M names were taken!
Edited to say MK2 doesnt sound nearly as fun as ME2 
Ok, my inability to do the drop flowers has been my dirty little secret for a long time. It's so embarassing in class to be demonstrating and make a pathetic looking drop flower. My students whip my bum at this one all the time. I always make a joke out of it and tell them that I can make a real looking rose in any size on the head of a toothpick, but I can't squeeze a little swirl of icing out of the tube. I am going to try some of these tips and see if I can stop looking like an idiot.
I had a hard time with the drop flowers in class, so I asked my sil who took the courses years ago to give me a lesson. She watched me at first and I was going too fast. Of course hers came out perfect. When she left I told myself that I wasn't leaving the table until I could crank them out like a machine. About 5 minutes later it all came together for me and I did at least 100. I was so happy. I have used tip 224 for the small drop flowers but I ended up snipping the bar down the middle because it was deforming one of the petals.
Yup ME2, shorter and slower was the key for me! I'm glad you had the lightbulb moment. Seems so simple, yet it turns out to be tricky sometimes. 
Go figure...
Nobody gasp, but I tried a small piece of parchment(size of a plate) and put it on a lazy susan. I did the icing with my right hand--straight up and turned the lazy susan to get the flowers. I was just trying to get the hang of the whole idea. I agree slowing things down helps LOADS. Lift straight up too. Mine are not "decorator perfect" but for what I need them for this first time, they will do. I have an array of different flowers with different tips. And I don't hold my bag in the most perfect "wilton" kind of fashion. I think you adjust the directions a bit to your stature.
I do wish I made the middle dots a deeper color than the ivory. If I have more time, I may try another batch.
I am very far from being professional, but I like to keep royal icing flowers on hand for those last-minute cakes, and for when I really don't have a lot of time. I buy my royal icing mix in a one-pound bag, mix up the whole thing, color it as needed, or if I don't need the whole batch, I will make various shades and sizes of drop flowers of one main color, so I have a nice mix that goes together. I also like to keep daisies and black-eyed susans on had, and I also have roses that I make out of royal icing. For me, cake decorating is my stress-reliever from daily life, the one thing I don't have to share with anyone else. And making flowers out of royal icing gives me that break I need, allows me to stock up my flower supply, and gives me more practice.
Being new in this wonderful world of cake decorating, I have also found the swirled drop flowers more difficult then expected. However, this evening, I practiced using the tips that were given here and I can finally make the flowers! Yippeeee!!! Thank you so very much. This is the best place for help and information.
aliekitn99
whenI make drop flowers I always use BC and freeze them then put them on the cake quickly before they thaw. Try it you might be suprised. Just lay out a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet drop the flowers and freeze.
I might have to try that BC-freezing thing.
Just wanted to let you all know that I got my tips 106 and 107 in the mail today and tried them out...I was convinced that since they already have the "swirl" to the petals that they would be simple, but no!! BUT, I used my leftover RI from the other day and they didn't come out good that day either. I think my RI batch was not stiff enough. I guess I will try, try again.... 
I use a glue stick to attatch my wax paper to a circlecake board and then trim off the excess. I then put this on my lasy susan. I turn the lazy susan instead of my wrist. When I'm ready to use my flowers, I just peel the wax paper of the cake board and they pop right off.
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