I made a batch today just to practice making flowers cuz i havent made some in bout 2 years. Not only have i forgotten HOW to make the darn things, I must have had some grease somewhere... All my flowers turned into one big glob. 
( Im sooo discouraged! ARGH I know it was stiff enuff cuz in the bowl it was... ergh
Im sooo thinking of taking the class 2 again for a refresher course.
Ok just wanted to vent! lol
Laura
I wipe everything down with distilled white vinegar before making royal - it works, I swear.
In the bag did the icing still feel thick, but melt after you pipped the icing? If so it might not be a grease problem. How long did you mix your icing for? Royal icing need to be mixed 7-10 mins atleast. You want to mix it until it loses its sheen. If you don't mix it long enough then it will feel thick, but does not hold it's shape after piping.
If you have grease in your bowl when mixing your icing will be soupy it will never get thick.
also, make sure you use brand name meringue powder...my royal never ever worke.d..once i switched to wilton brand...BINGO!
Well, now that i've thrown the whole batch away and walked away from the kitchen and forgot bout it all.. Im sure there's several factors.. I used generic powdered sugar which was kinda lumpy, and the featherweight bag and/or tip must have had some leftover grease in it. When the icing was in the bowl, it was nice and stiff.. I had it in the KA for bout 10 mins.. Another reason for my frustrations is I believe I've forgotten how to make the flowers. I haven't had to make many of them, you know, the daisy, apple blossom etc.. from class 2. I dug out my old class book but that wasnt much help. Oh well.. I guess I'll try it again and just practice practice!
Thanks fer lettin me vent! 
I usually wipe everything down with a cut lemon first. Still, I usually end up with grease. I hate RI too. HATE IT.
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