Back to School.. Cake Decorating School That Is

I find it funny that for the last 13 years of teaching quilting I have been the one at the front of the class giving homework to my students to complete a particular part of their quilting project for next class. Now the tables have turned.

I mentioned recently how I am taking up cake decorating classes at our local Michaels Craft Store. Last Wednesday I had my first class. I was the student this time not the instructor. In the beginning it seemed a little different to be sitting looking up at the instructor instead of being the other way around. In two hours I had a ton of notes written and found out all the new gadgets and gizmos I would have to purchase to start this new hobby. Again I found it a bit funny that I was not the one suggesting tools of the trade needed to complete the projects. I found myself after class going through the Wilton Cake Aisle looking at all the new ‘toys’ I would be getting myself familiarized with. I bought a bunch of stuff that night, then turned around with more Michaels coupons and gift certificate in hand and spent more money on Sunday. I still needed a few more things to complete my homework before my next class. I also went to the grocery store and bought enough icing sugar, shortening and cake mixes to last me forever!!! LOL I think I need a bigger kitchen!

Last night I decided it was going to take two nights to complete my homework. Last night I made up 2 batches of Buttercream icing and then had to break them down into different consistencies and then into different colours. Here is a photo of the cake we are going to decorate this Wednesday night!

I managed to get all the colours to the shade I wanted, but I just can’t seem to master the colour red!!!! I botched one batch trying to darken my red with black colour gel and that became a disaster!! So after trying and trying, instead of having a red colour rainbow I will have a dark pink pastel instead LOL… I will need to research a bit more how to get the real RED.

Here is my poor excuse for red...

I spent over 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen last night with my Kitchen Aid making icing and colours! I never realized it would take that long to make the icing. I had hoped to make my icing and then still have a bit of time left over to do a bit of sewing. By 10pm I was SPENT! I checked some emails then crashed into bed. When the alarm went off at 6:30am this morning it took every bit of energy for me to crawl out of my nice warm cozy bed.

Tonight’s homework consists of baking the cake and icing it. Last night when I fell asleep my dreams consisted of me making different coloured icings and then trying to get everything ready before class started. I remember looking at the clock in my dreams and saying to Mum “oooh nooo!!!!! Its 6:30pm Wednesday I’m suppose to be in class right now and my cake is half iced!!!” Next thing I am stuffing Alexi, the dog in my cake carrier and closing her inside to take her to class!!! Now where did THAT come from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m sure there is a pill out there somewhere for what I have!!! LOL

(Later that night....) You know, do you ever find yourself hating it when you see how something is made and the instructor makes it look sooooooooooooooo easy that SURELY you will have no problem doing it!!! Well I am going to be the laughing stock of my class!!!! So I tried to do the whole icing of the cake. I got the cake all leveled and I even managed to put a filling between the layers.. noooo problem... then I started to put the icing on the top of the cake being EVER so careful not to lift my spatula from the icing... well somewhere along the line I did and now I have bits of cake crumbs throughout my cake top!! THEN I said to myself, hey I'll use the same big tip the instructor used to do the sides of the cake!!! DISASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never had enough icing in the bag so I couldn't squeeze anything out!! THEN what I did get out came out in a large mess and wouldn't stick to the side of the cake taking.. yep you guessed it.. CRUMBS!!!!!!!!! so much for that idea of icing a nice cake including sides... So now my poor Picasso of a cake is naked on the sides and the top is like playing connect the dots between crumbs. My next step is to let the icing dry a bit and form a bit of a crust.. then I have to take some parchment paper and smooth out the bumps.. hee hee this is going to get interesting.. Please someone PLEASE tell me it will be easier and that I CAN do this!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my poor excuse of an iced cake.. please don't laugh too hard!!



This is how the cake is suppose to look when complete.. mine will just have naked sides LOL...ooh I hope I'm not the only one in class with a half naked cake!

On the quilting side of things, and something I know much more abourt,I have one more border to add to my sampler quilt that I’ll be teaching this Saturday morning. The border is just a simple and straight forward border.. So no big thinking involved. Hopefully I’ll have that border on by Thursday night and I’ll get started on writing up my lesson plan for that first class. I know exactly what I’ll be talking about and teaching that day, I just need it in written format now.

One more border to go!

Also I have other BIG news!!!! I have officially started selling my very first E-Book!!!!!! This e-book is a step by step instruction book on how to make your own chenille and I show how to put it into 3 different projects. If you have never made your own chenille before it is so much fun and so easy to do! You don’t need any special machine to make it. As long as your sewing machine can sew a straight stitch and you can attach a quilting foot to it, you can make your own chenille! It has over 75 coloured photos detailing every step to making chenille and ways to use your chenille in 2 different cushions and a travel/make up bag.

If you are interested in learning more about chenille and interested in my e-book, here is a link where you can go to find out more and if you wish to purchase your own copy.

http://www.quiltedparadise.com/n/804-owz.jsp

With e-books you can download the book immediately. You can read it from your computer screen or print your own copy for future use. If you have any further questions or comments about this book, feel free to contact me any time at comfortcovedesigns@yahoo.ca

‘Til Next Time

Andrea