Does anyone have any helpful hints on wiring #$*(&@*# gumpaste leaves? I struggle with this more than anything else I know - it get's me so frustrated!!! I use very fine wire (30 g maybe?) and hook it and if my hooks don't pop through, they show..arrrrggghhh!! One time I tried not hooking them but they ended up spinning around and falling off the wires when I was doing the arranging. HELP!!???
Thank you! I think I'll try them without hooking again and be careful not to move them until I'm sure they are dry.
I usually moisten the wire then cover the wire with a thin roll of gumpaste, cut out my leaf and place the covered wire in the veiner first, place the leaf next and place the top veiner on and slightly push on the veiner then open it and carefully peel the veined leaf off and place it to dry. Hope you understand.
I bought a board from celcrafts to make my leaves and petals with. When rolling the paste on the board a ridge is formed at the back and it is super easy to stick the wire in that. It get flattened when you vein the leaf/petal.
Here is the link to the boards, Im sure you will find it in the states as well
https://www.celcrafts.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=https%3a%2f%2fwww%2ecelcrafts%2eco%2euk%2facatalog%2fOnline_Catalogue_RVO_Moulds_26%2ehtml&WD=board&PN=Online_Catalogue_Modelling_Equipment_18%2ehtml%23aME03#aME03
I usually moisten the wire then cover the wire with a thin roll of gumpaste, cut out my leaf and place the covered wire in the veiner first, place the leaf next and place the top veiner on and slightly push on the veiner then open it and carefully peel the veined leaf off and place it to dry. Hope you understand.
I went to a cake decorating 3 day weekend a couple of months ago and Tony Waren from England was a special guest demonstrator there, he showed us how to do it that way, but he put the paste and wire onto the leaf, then into a veiner, and yes it works for me but I found you have to be quick, so the bit of paste on the wire melds into the leaf, if not then its very noticable. i am getting better at it, and I will continue doing it this way for orders, though not for show work. ( he also showed us how to speed it up by laying our wires onto a length of paste and cutting it up, but thats another story LOL)
the way I was taught though was to hold the leaf in with your thumb and index finger, moisten the wire with some water, and then place it in the crease on the edge of your palm (nearest the little finger) as you bend your little finger and pull it out, it takes out the excess water and then like threading a needle, you insert it into the leaf or petal and you will feel it slide between your fingers but still inside the paste. might take a few goes but it will work.! and with anything practice makes perfect. I hope that helps you.
I use very fine wire (30 g maybe?) and hook it and if my hooks don't pop through, they show...???
leaves and petals are not hooked at all. !
I would only do that for some flower centres.
some even require a ski stick like gerbera's, daisies and the like.
I also have the celcakes board with the ridges for rolling out leaves and inserting the wires - thank goodness, or I'd have given up long ago!! 
Guess I need to do them more often so I stay in practice. Never fails, I learn something and then don't do it for a year and forget how I did it or in what order. I should keep a decorating 'journal' so I can remember what I did.
I cut, soften/ruffle, vein and then insert the wire. Do some of you insert the wire before veining? I find I'm usually second guessing myself and wondering if I'm doing things in the most efficient order.
Rozben - what do you do differently for show work than you do for everyday orders?
Hello Sillychick
yes unfortunately, unless you have been doing it for years. there are some things that we will forget.
I cut, insert wire, soften, then vein mine.!
and for orders i use the pea size amount of paste on a wire, shimmied up it, and attach to the leaf/petal. then vein. but for show work i would do the threading through way like i explained before. !!! I have tried the grooved board and that way works fine too. its just a matter of finding what and how you like to work the best, i find it too tedious to work one petal or leaf at a time, so i tend to have a bunch going at once. HTH and goodnight !!
I have the same board that riana and sillychick mentioned. I bought mine from Nicholas Lodge. Also, after inserting the wire into your leaves or petals, if you mold the base of the leaf or petal around the wire, it should not spin. Also, I took a class from Nicholas Lodge 
, and we wrapped the wires with floral tape and lightly painted them with egg white before sticking into the leaves. I think this may have helped the leaves and petals to not spin once dried.
~Chelle
Oh Chelle, I think you are right!!! I took a NL class too and I think that is what we did...sheesh! (the light bulb comes on...) Wish I had my own personal little NL to sit on my shoulder and guide me along. I didn't wrap my wires because I am hoping I can cover them with gp...maybe I should wrap them first anyway to give the gp something to cling to? I was worried it might make them too bulky.
THANK YOU all for your great input and advice AND THANK YOU CC!! Don't know what I'd do without all the helpful information here. 
I've often dreampt of having my own personal little NL too! I just love listening to him talk! I can't wait for next years class schedule to come out so I can register for more classes!
~Chelle
Edited to add: Sillychick - what class did you take from him?
gumpaste sticks a lot better to wires covered in tape.
I also cut, then insert wire and then soften and vein.
I'm impressed with those of you who can cut and then wire before working the leaf/petal. I gave up trying it that way because when I move it around I always poke my wire through. How do you keep from doing that? Just lots of practice?
I'm always a little embarrassed to admit having taken a NL class because I think people will expect me to be more accomplished than I am!
Any advice for covering stems with gp? Of course, in hindsight I'm betting I should have wrapped the wires and then covered with gp and let dry before I even put any leaves on it. oh rats...
To tell you the truth - I never would have known how to do it (or even to do it at all) had I never taken a class! Using the celcakes board with the ridges helps greatly in putting wires in the leaves because there is a thicker vein in the middle of the leave to put the wire in.
~Chelle
Any advice for covering stems with gp? Of course, in hindsight I'm betting I should have wrapped the wires and then covered with gp and let dry before I even put any leaves on it. oh rats...
I gave up covering the wire with gumpaste, its a pain! I use normal florist tape. This combined with some egg white as glue works like a dream
Just thought I'd give an update. Tried my gp leaves again last night and it went so much better! Maybe it was just the confidence of knowing what order to do everything in. And hey, I even suprised myself...I CAN wire the leaves before I soften and vein!!!! Amazing!!! Although I do think I will NOT be gp'ing the stems.
Chelle, thanks so much for reminding me about wrapping the wires first, that helped tons! All of you, thank you so much...I truly appreciate your help.
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