Hi every one,
i need help making some peony flowers they have to be the ones with the individual pedals i have attached some pictures of what they are suppose to look like. Ive tried making them but they just don't come out right. Ive looked for tutorials but haven't had any luck....they are for a wedding that is due by the end of April...please if any one can help me in any way (or know of a tutorial) i would really appreciate it!
thank you
romy

When securing the petal to the wire leave less of a "stem" and have the base of the petal as close to the center as possible. You should not be able to see the wires at all.

Try making your petals a little bit thinner, especially the edges and ruffle the edges more. Alternate the layering of the petals so that they are halfway between the petals in front of them.

A good shaper is an apple tray. You can get them free from the produce department at the grocery store.

I hope this helps. If not, I'll check back to see if I can better answer your questions.

Michele

Thank you im going to try that...what number wire do i use? and what tool do i use to make those ruffles?and for the center?

The size wire I would use is probably a 26 gauge. This will be small enough to not be obvious and strong enough to hold up the petal.

For the ruffling you can use a cel stick, skewer, or even the end of a paint brush. On a petal pad press the stick partially on the part you want to ruffle and partially on the pad. Roll back and forth in small quick motions until you get the ruffle you want. Work in small sections, but work quickly. Practice on some scraps of gumpaste to get the technique. A few torn edges will not be a problem. Large missing and ragged chunks will probably not be the look you want.

The centers can be made with 3 tiny tear drop shapes attached to a 20 g wire and either purchased stamens surrounding that or thread stamens. I love the thread stamens because they are cheap and easy. Wrap some appropriate colored thread around 2 fingers about 50 times. Fold this into a figure 8, twist a fine wire around the center to secure it and then cut the loops. Wrapping some floral tape around the base will bring the threads together. Lightly dampen the ends of the thread and then dip the ends into plain gelatin mixed with yellow/orange powdered food coloring. Large peonies usually need 3 of these sets each.

When your stamens have dried then use floral tape to snugly attach them to the 20 g wire with the 3 tear drops. This is the pistol and should be allowed to dry over night before adding the stamens.

I know this sounds like a lot, but it's mostly assembly line work.

If i didn't make any sense let me know and I'll try again.

Michele

Thank you so much!!! i really really appreciate your help, i will try your techniques in the next couple of day and let you know how it goes...
your a life savor!!!!
Thanks again

so crazy I saw this thread, I have to make a peony for next Sat. for a cake and I can't find my gumpaste tools! lol I always have them in a drawer and the drawer was beginning to get crammed full so I picked them all out to put them somewhere "safe" and can't remember where!!


Anyhow, I found this great pictorial on peony flowers
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=651609&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=gumpaste&&start=0


Here is another one, I believe the peony is pg. 28 of this pdf

http://www.cakesbydesign.cc/GumPasteFlowerInstructions.pdf

Thank you so much everyone for your help...im going to practice and see what easier for me