I may have a cake order for the following cake with a few alterations:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1620586.html

This cake was a fruitcake, and obviously took many many hours of work, which was fine because it was done in a class over 12 weeks and fruitcakes last many years!

The lady would like the cake in 3 tier chocolate mud cake. Cake decorating is not my full time job, so unless I charged her hundreds of dollars, I will not be taking time off work to do this cake.
So not only have we got an extra tier to cover, its a race against time with keeping the cake fresh.
She also wants the flowers in purple and white, not pink and white.
I still have these flowers at home, I'm thinking about using the same ones and just putting purple colouring over them, purple being a stronger colour, it would hopefully kill the pink - what do you think?

My main concern is what to tell her with all that lace and extension work? I would like to find a quicker substitute, has anyone got any patterns, cutters or ideas that might do the trick? I've let her know we will have to compromise on price and design due to the nature of that cake.

I see the lace points, but I do not see extensionwork. What I see is a scalloped, textured ribbon. Extensionwork has gaps between the threads that create light and shadow. There are no gaps between the ribs on that scalloped ribbon.

Theresa

A potential shortcut for lace, you could use patchwork cutters from the embroidery embossers set by marion frost. Obviously you would be restricted with the design and its not as fine as normal lace.
I just did a cake without extension but it sill had lace and a scallop piped underneath with embroidery, so it still looks similar but was much quicker.
I will try to attach pic of what i mean....
Ok, pic didn't attach, it's in my photos.....

Isn't there a grosgrain ribbon texture rolling pin available? Those lines might be narrow enough to substitute for the extensionwork.

Theresa

I think it would be just too heavy and probably just a fiddly trying to glue so many strips on.
I'm thinking a patchwork cutter, I just need to find some dainty examples and where to buy what cutter from....

I've put some pics in my photos of the patchwork cutters i was talking about for the lace. I got mine at Susie-Q.
For the extension could you cut a strip of scalloped fondant and go along at even spaced intervals with a toothpick or fine piece of wire, and press it into the fondant? then you could finish it off with a fine snail trail along the scalloped edge?
(Pic in my photos to show what i mean)

ok, please tell me - what's a snail trail?

Theresa

snail trail is the tiny borders - done with a 1 or 0 tip usually.

I know a little cheat for the lace pieces, and I'm willing to share lol. I went on the Stephen Benison website and ordered a sheet he has with the lace pieces on it. You just place the sheet with the lace design on wax paper and put on the RI and scrape off the access. Peel off the sheet, let the pieces dry and slowly remove and put on cake. www.SugarArtistry.com is the web site. Good luck and hope that helped.

RI - royal icing!

Hi ThatsLifeCA - are you able to tell me exactly where on the website these are? There's so much stuff that I'm having trouble locating them and trying to picture how its actually done...
Thanks so much for your help [/quote]

Hi sweet_toof I sure can tell you. You go to the web site and look under accessories then look under stencils. He has two there, one is lace hearts and the other is snowflakes. It makes doing lace pieces easy peasy. Just make sure you make lots, they break so easliy. Oh yes, and don't forget that if you order you are paying in British Pound, google "money exchange" and it will do the money exchange for you. Hope that helps.

I dont know how to attach a link, it's the first pic in my photos of the piece of paper with typing on it called 'Patchwork Cutters". all the pics im talking about are under that one page.

Thanks for that tip on Stephen Benison, his texture mats are really cool!