Okay, so I got my first wedding cake order, and the bride and I have been emailing back and forth as to a design. While searching she for some ideas, she found a scottish tarten or tartan (not really sure on proper spelling have seen it both ways) fondant swag drapped round cake and asked if I could re create that. I of course told her no, pretty sure I cannot but would ask around and that means coming to this wonderful group. So, do you have suggestions or tutorials. Here is the link to look at the swags and some other really great cakes. Thx for any help and ideas.
Tammy
http://www.toogoodtoeat.co.uk/Gallery/scottish.htm
I did a search on the internet to see what I could find and an idea popped into my mind. What if you rolled the fondant out and then painted the stripes on? You would have to be able to to keep the fondant moist and get the paint to dry so that you can "wrap" it around the cake.
I suppose that you could put the fondant on and then paint it but I am not sure if the lines would match up as well. You could try this in advance and just stack your pans and drape it over that.
Good luck - I think you can do it!! 
Here is a few pics from fellow CC members that is similar to what you are trying to make. You could try PM'ing one of them to see how they did it. HTH some, Jen
Very similar. Painted it....
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=46635
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=662643
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=3597
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=32700
I have been experimenting with this as I had a tartan cake when I got married in Scotland, and would love to be able to do one for our 5th anniversary. I had reasonable success with edible image transfers on white chocolate fondant to make a tartan drape.
I looked at the link you posted Tammy. I bet that tartan is not hand painted, tartan patterns are quite intricate so that would be very difficult to do on a draped piece of fondant. To paint it you would need it to lie flat to get all the lines straight and then drape it after it has all been painted, but by then the fondant would be dry and it would crack and not drape well. I am guessing it is an edible image on fondant, then draped. The internet is full of Scottish heritage sites with the various tartans, so getting a picture to use as for the edible image would be easy enough.
I guess the other way you can do it is to lay the fondant flat, mask off the stripes and airbrush the various colours. But it still would probably dry too much to be draped in the end.
wow...those cakes are gorgeous!!!
two options -- paint it or airbrush it.
airbrush would give the best results.
do you know which tartan she wants?
http://www.destination-scotland.com/tartans/a/index.asp
because that will determine the degree of difficulty
some are relatively simple -- others, oh MY!
it's really no more complex than a pattern of strips that is repeated both horizontally and vertically with the variation in color coming from the interplay of the colors of the stripes.
to create -- (and using one of the Douglas tartans as an example -- gee I wonder why? 
)
1) determine the pattern -> the first set of bars.
2) repeat the pattern enough to get coverage in one direction --> vertical set
3) rotate 90 degrees and repeat again --> horizontal set
4) when put together get the tartan.
---
to airbrush would mask off for one direction and then do the colors -- BUT NOT at full intensity -- rather they would be shot diluted -- for the example the colors were at 60% of full strength
then would rotate piece 90 degrees, mask and shoot again.
part of the trick is the colors are NOT full strength but depend upon the double build up to get the final color.
a LOT of masking -- but doable.
and if done w/ alcohol base dye should dry enough yet not be stiff to still drape
HTH
Thank you so much for all the great ideas. This is just the reason I was looking for to get an air brush; and I think there is a place here in Houston that will print edible images. That way I can give them all a try. Thank you again.
Tammy
Yep, edible image on fondant would be the way to go if you want a perfect, authentic looking tartan. I suppose it could be done with an airbrush and masking off with tape, but I would thing the fondant would dry out too much by the time you got the last design layer done and then it would crack when you tried to drape it.
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