Hey everyone. This is my first post and I'm so excited I found this board! I am attempting my first fondant bow this weekend for a friend's baby shower. I found a GREAT article that gave great step by step directions. I'm just curious as to which would make my bow turn out better: Fondant, Gum Paste or if I can use Marshmallow Fondant?

Also, my cake is going to be an 8" square on top of a 10" square....if I made my strips 6" long by 1" wide would that give me a fairly good sized bow??

AND...one last thing I promise! ha....how many loops would make a decent sized bow?? 25??

Thanks for your help!!!

When ever I make bows I use Fondant, Gumpaste will work too. MMF won't harden enough.

As far as how many loops.....25 is a good number because you'll have extras in case some break.

I've used MMF with some gumtex in it and had no problems. Just knead in about 1/2 teaspoon into the batch and let it sit overnight (well wrapped and in a zipper bag) then knead again before using.

Thanks for the tips! How long will my fondant bow last?? How far in advance can I make it? The party is on Dec. 3rd and I want to practice to make sure it will turn out right but I don't want it to go bad. Is a week too early??

You can make it months in advance, if you choose. There is a great tutorial on this site for a loopy bow.

I like a 50/50 mix of gumpaste and fondant.

I've made bows weeks in advance to allow for drying. They don't go "bad" unless they are kept in high humidity..that makes them "wilt.".