AJust wondering if anyone can tell me how THEY get their quilting to have that 'puffy' looking? I am about to have another go, I have let my fondant harden for a day (I think it might just crack though) and the ganache under it soften a little. I will see how that works, anyone else have any other techniques they use?

I'm assuming you are using an imprint sheet? I use a diamond quilter to get the "puffy" look. Here's a link to it.

http://www.winbeckler.com/LARGE-DIAMOND-QUILTER-30p5617.htm

I think the fondant needs to be soft. I did the cake in my avatar with the wilton embossing tool and a ribbon as a guide. Used stick pins to hold the ribbon so the lines were a consistent width apart. (Actually, to be honest I did that for the first 2 or 3 lines then it got tedious and I eye-balled it).

Yes, I do it when the fondant is very soft.

Yes, you have to work while the fondant is soft.

It HAS to be done whilst the fondant is soft.
 

Athanks everyone :) I have been playing around with it a fair bit the last couple of days, and I think I am getting there! it is still not as 'puffy' as I would like though, but I will keep going... practice makes perfect!!

Try covering the area with plastic wrap (hold it taut) and then use the diamond cutter.  It makes for a rounded edge and this also works for any other type of cutting/marking you are doing.

AThe key is to have a good amount of buttercream under the fondant..here is my very first attempt. It's a cake I done for a wedding ....I really enjoyed decorating it and it looked amazing![IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3004659/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

I second the extra buttercream suggestion... I usually put my "quilts" on with the edge of a clean ruler because I don't have any fancy cutters. On cakes where I skimped on the icing, they come out flat, but on cakes where I was quite generous with the icing were very pillowy!

AIt has to be done while the fondant is soft, or it will crack. I use the diamond cutter, I find it is the easiest and best looking way for me. However, if you're using extra buttercream underneath, you'll probably be pushing harder into the fondant, in which case, I would cover the cake with plastic wrap before making the impressions so they will look pillowy instead of cut into the fondant. [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3005283/width/200/height/400[/IMG] This was done on a dummy with the cutter and no buttercream underneath.

This one was done with lots of buttercream, plastic wrap and a ruler to make the impressions. [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3005284/width/200/height/400[/IMG]