I myself have done a soccer ball cake. The only advice I can think of that really helped me is to have a cut out of the 2 different patterns in the soccer ball. One has five sides, the other has six. I found it easy to have a cardboard cut out, then just place it on the cake and trace it and fill the ball in that way. This way when you're done you already have all the shapes in there and you just need to fill it in. When I tried to freehand it with no pattern I just got lost in all my lines! Not sure If I made any sense at all! Good Luck.
I agree with Jenn1978. Definitely use the pattern. I covered the cake in BC first, then I made several patterns and attached them to the ball with toothpicks I think. Instead of "tracing" I used a straight edge like an index card to imprint where the straight lines went. Hope this makes sense. I did not like the first one I did but the customer and her daughter's team loved it and ordered another one. I was pleased with the second one, it is in my pics.
Good luck!
Jenn, I am listening in....not sure I understand what you mean about a "cardboard" cutout pattern? How would you wrap that around the cake? I would think you would do a pattern out of wax paper or something? I'm not understanding something.... Sorry, but Im such a visual person! 
I was going to attempt one of these eventually too....
Thanks for helping! Can you try to make me understand?
Sweetcakes23
I've done the soccer ball a few times, my advice, use wax paper for the pattern, pattern comes with the pan, the first time I cut out tons of patterns, after that I realized I could reuse one or two, secondly, I definately reccomend not using the star tip, that thing takes forever and kills my wrist. I used bc, smoothed with viva, used black wilton decorator icing (in the tube) and smoothed that with viva. I liked my results. Pictures in my photos of both star tip and plain bc soccer balls.
no worries! I'm not good with explaining things in words! I just cut out the two different shapes (6 sided, and 5 sided)of the soccer ball using cardboard. Basically you're going to use it as a template for your lines on the ball after you have already frsoted it with BC. Me personally I would start on top of the ball with the the 5 sided template, then put on the 6 sided template. That's just me though. I use to just use a pin to trace my lines. Then when I had all my lines I would just do my outline with my BC and then fill it in with stars. I wasn't really concerned with the neatness of the lines, for you won't see them when you're done anyway! Does that make any more sense? I realy hope so! I'm so bad at explaining!
Now,let me get this straight...I need to cut out templates for the ball?I fig'd the Wilton cake pan would leave enough of the designs to just trace with black,then the black and white pattern...I won't beable to do that?Uhgh..Goes to show you I am still a newbie...guess I should have tried the pan out first.Almost shure there is no pattern (for cutting) in the instuctions...OH nooooo..
lol if you are using the soccer ball pan you may be able to do it that way. I never used that pan! I always just used regular 8" or whatever inch I needed and carved the top and the bottom to turn it into a ball! BUT if you get going with it then can no longer see the balls pattern, you may want to go the template route! Either way you go I'm sure it will turn out fine!
WHich pan are you using? All the talk about cutting out patterns only applies if you're using the sports ball pan to make the actual spherical soccer ball.
If you're using the soccer ball pan that's like a character pan, with the lines emobssed in it, it's just a matter of following the lines.
Good luck whichever one you're doing, and be sure to post pics when you're finished!
Laura.
I don't have the soccer ball pan, so I'm not sure what it looks like. I once did half the sports ball pan like a soccer ball and set it on a 9x13 base. Then I used the frosting tip that makes "grass" and did the field with that and a scoreboard off to the side with the little girl's name and age as the score. She love it and it was really simple. Hope that gives you an idea to use.
BTW Jmama3--where in Iowa are you from?
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