Hi everybody!
so i'm working on my very first gumpaste couple as a cake topper. They are in standing position playing guitars on top of the cake.

i've made the man, and he's standing about 5 inches tall. I've put skewers in his feet and they are about 2 inches long. i'm now kinda freaking out that they aren't long enough to have him stand up all night in the cake. Should i re-do him? (would hate to do this, because it took so long and he's already dry)

Also, just starting my woman, ideally how long should the skewers be?

p.s. any tips on how to make a sundress and/or facial hair are appreciated!

Thanks for your help in advance!
Melissa

skewers should ideally extended at least 3" into the cake.

You dont' have to redo the guy. Just extended the skewers - they'll be completely hidden by cake.

I agree that the longer the skewers the better they will hold up. I have amde a handful of gumpaste figures in various positions and have found that almost all of the ones that were standing have had problems. They start leaning back and the holes in the cake start to stretch. I have inserted straws and then put the skewers into the straws which has helped. But it sounds like this is for a wedding cake, so just to be on the safe side maybe make a pair of figures that are in the sitting position just in case the standing ones don't last hours and hours on the cake.

How about gluing them on to a gumpaste disc?? That way you get a broader base and the figures will be firmly affixed to it and you can still leave the skewers for additional support. Just make the base disc the same color as the cake off course.

Oh these are great ideas! Leah, how do you extend skewers once they're already too short? Can i do all the options: the extended skewers, the skewers inside the straws, and glue them on a disc? what do you think?