Tea Cosy from four square blocks

I saw a neat tea cosy this past weekend. It was just four 8" square blocks. They fit together this way: Picture the four squares, each piece folded in half vertically, with the right sides together. Now, still folded, pick up two squares and put two wrong sides together and sew up the long side. Still folded, sew together the two top half pieces that have their wrong sides facing each other. The top sewing should only reach the middle of the block. Repeat with the other two blocks. Today I prepared two CQ blocks, 8" square and will embroider these. The other two squares will be plain. Since I posted this yesterday, I've been thinking. If you just wanted to make a very quick tea cosy, then instead of having four pieces that you join together, start off with the equivalent of that, 8" x 32". Join to make a circle, fold in half and mark the folds, fold in half the other way and mark the folds. Half way between the marked folds becomes the centre and should be tacked together. Then sew the four top edges together.

Tea Cosy from four square blocks - continued

I'm sick with a nasty cold and sore throat, but when I'm on a roll with something, I have to keep going! I chose a maroon velvet for the two other squares and joined them together. Next, I cut and pinned a piece of thin batting to the four blocks.I joined the four blocks into a circle.I cut a piece of lining and put right sides of the lining and squares together and sewed around the top to hold everything together. Turn inside out, mark the middle of each block across the top. Overstitch from the outside in (from where the CQ block and the velvet block are stitched together) to the middle mark. Repeat three more times. I used a maroon variegated #5 perle because the thread needs to be pulled tight to bring the pieces together. Catch the outsides with your big needle so that your lining doesn't show. And it looks like this. I still have to finish the bottom edge and find a knob of sorts for the top centre.

Tea Cosy from four square blocks - finished!

I chose some heavy taffeta like fabric for the bottom trim, machine stitched it on the right side and hem stitched inside. I found a couple of buttons and beads for the knob on top.

Here's my teapot, a bit on the small side, but the handle is quite big. However, it fits really well.

This is a larger tea pot that the one above. I tried the cosy on it and with the spout and handle in the pointed areas, it fitted quite well too. I would suggest that a 9" or 10" square would work better for this size of teapot.I tried the cosy on it with the spout and handle in the pointed areas, it fitted quite well. I would suggest that a 9" or 10" square would work better for this size of tea pot.

Gumpaste Tulip Tutorial

January 22nd 2014 update

  *** 87,125 visits ***

May 22nd 2012 update

**  31,000 visits is now 45,000**

I can't believe that this tulip tutorial of mine, along with the frilly tulip has now had over 31,000 hits from all over the world!

I've written many other tutorials for teaching sugar flowers over the years, and I've decided to gather some of them up into a flower tutorial book.  I've included in the book these tulip instructions because it's not easy to print off the Blog. 

I'm hoping that you will enjoy the three other flowers that I have chosen:  Gardenia, Lily of the Valley and the Daffodil.  In the most part I've tried to use cutters that won't cost the earth, or are simple shapes (like the oval for the tulip).  There's a printed booklet, and a PDF version of the booklet.

For details, please see the end of this 'post'.............. Diane

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Now, here is    The tulip tutorial: 

The petals, pistil and stamens need to be in proportion to each other. For the petals I am using an oval cutter 2 1/2" long by 1 1/4" wide. The pistil starts at the base of the petals and is about half the height of the petal. The stamens are a little shorter than the pistil and are bent away from it. A real tulip below.

1. The stamens. Make 6. Cut six 3" pieces of #32 white covered wire. Bend the wire over about 3/4" as shown in the photo below. Moisten this part with egg white or gum glue and dip in something like corn meal to resemble pollen. (I used a mixture of gelatin powder and yellow petal dust.) Let dry.
2. The pistil. Cut a length of #18 covered wire. This will be the actual stem of the tulip. Colour some gum paste a very light green. Moisten the end of the wire and work the paste to cover the top 2 1/2" of the wire. Pinch the top of the paste into three, as in the photo. Leave upright to dry. This photo is of my oval cutter and the pistil.
3. Petals. Make 6, three should be slightly narrower. Colour some gumpaste the shade you want your tulips. Roll out thinly on a grooved boardTurn paste over and cut out petal. Moisten the end of a 4" length of #28 covered wire and push into the raised portion of the petal. Tool the petal to thin out the top edge. Vein each petal. I have an Aldeval tulip veiner which works well.
4. Make at least one extra large and small petal in case of breakage. So for one tulip make 4 large and 4 small petals. Gently push petals into a dessert spoon and leave to dry at least overnight.

Next I dusted the petals with a slightly darker red, just enough to bring out the veins. I also brushed a little black at the base. It's easier to dust before the tulip is assembled. Use green florist tape to tape the six stamens to the pistil;

1. Tape the 3 smaller petals evenly around, to the base of the pistil. Tape each one separately so that they will stay in place and not slide around.

2. Tape the 3 larger petals in between the smaller ones evenly around to the base of the pistil;
3. You may want to add another one or two lengths of #18 wire to the stem to make it more like a tulip stem which is fairly thick. This is the finished tulip, dusted and steamed.
4. 

Leaves I rolled out a large piece of green paste and cut out the leaves freehand. You should leave a thicker piece from the base of the leaf about one third of the way up the middle to hold a wire. I also veined the leaves with my yellow rolling cutter, and the edge of a knife. Just don't press hard enough to cut the paste. Dry on crinkled tinfoil to give the leaves some movement. Dust and steam.

About a quarter of the folks who visit my blog do so by googling "gum paste tulips". I would love to know if you found the tutorial useful.

FRILLY TULIP
Note added 25th Feb. 2010:   I have a post on my blog showing how I made a frilly petalled tulip.  Click here for the link.
                            
                                 

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JUST RELEASED!  
my new (August 2011)
Gumpaste Flower Tutorials

Over the last 10 years, I have truly enjoyed my hobby of cake 
decorating, and especially making gumpaste flowers, and teaching this art to others. 

My Booklet offers simple step-by-step text instructions, which require
a minimum of special tools or cutters, and includes many colour photos. 

It features the Tulip, Gardenia, Lily of the Valley and Daffodil.

This Tutorial is available in a .pdf file via e-mail for $3 US.

Delivery will be (E)mailed within 24 hours following payment.

I've been asked if the flower tutorials could be sold separately.  Yes, and I have prepared the gardenia in it's own booklet, along with the tulip, as a 16 page PDF for $1.50.  

                  Click here to visit my ETSY shop.

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Gum paste tulips

In the Fall I received an order for tulips for a wedding cake. This is how they looked. If anyone wants a tutorial on them, I'll be happy to do it for you. If the tutorial isn't following this post, please go to the side bar and search the label for tulip tutorial. Click on it and this post and the tutorial will now be on your screen.

The penguin cake

The cake was a hit! And it came together so easily too. This is the 6" top, with the slide carved out. The top of the cake was very uneven, but we left it that way. To carve out the slide, cut a strip of paper about half the circumference of the cake and the height of the cake. My paper piece was 9" x 3". Cut in half to make a triangle. Attach to the side of the cake with toothpicks, then with a sharp knife cut into the cake horizontally along the paper edge, going into the cake about 2" for the width of the slide. Then cut down from the top the same 2". Then clean up the side. Here both cakes are together, the top one pushed back to give room at the front for the pond. I used a half and half mixture of my buttercream, (icing sugar, butter, vanilla and water) and Betty Crocker's Fluffy White Whipped Frosting. It was easy to work with and crusted over well. Finished! Here's a good shot, you can see the little guy coming down the slide on his tummy and one already head first into the pond. I don't have a photo of Josh with the cake. I'll add that later. For the penguin tutorial, click on "penguins" in the label bar below.

A Penguin Tutorial

What a day I've had with these cute little guys! Wednesday afternoons are my sugar days with my friend Verdie. Today our mission was a flock of penguins for my grandson's birthday cake in ten days time. As we were experimenting with the little creatures I took photos, so it is going to be a tutorial of sorts. I will start with the finished flock.
To start, using gumpaste or a mixture of gumpaste and fondant, or fondant with some tylose or gumtrag, measure some pieces of white paste about 15 grams each for the bodies.

Form them into the shape of the body, as above and push a toothpick into it to hold the head later.
Next, using black paste, make pieces 4 grams for the head and roll into balls. Next, make the eyes and beaks. For the eyes, roll white paste very thinly and cut circles with a #6 piping tip. The little circle will be the cornea. Cut the same out of black paste and divide it in two, make a ball and flatten it for the pupil. Stick in place on the head. For the beak, cut a small square, I had to trim it smaller than the cutter below. Press with a pin to fold it in half. Press the pin flat into the head to make a small indentation. Brush a little water into the indent and gently push in the beak.


Cut out the wings and feet from black paste using small heart cutters for the feet, and an oval cutter for the wings. You may have to trim the hearts to fit. The oval shape gets cut in half, and it's glued with the rounded side to the front.
Make a small cone of coloured paste and work with a pointed modelling stick to create the toque. Push the head onto the toothpick, adding a little gum glue to keep it in place. Then glue the toque in place.
Now, aren't they just the cutest little guys!!! If you make the penguins for your own cake, I'd love to see the finished result. Leave me a message please! My finished cake is posted here on December 8th. Click on "penguins" under Labels below.

Sequin flower

While I was surfing around I found a lovely sequin flower. There were no instructions, but it was mentioned that originally instructions were in an Australian magazine. Anyway, I had a go at it and it turned out fine. You need to have sequins that are shaped like bowls, or concave. I don't think it would work with flat sequins.

This is what I did.

1. Where I wanted the middle of the flower I put a dot on the fabric.

This shows five of the petals completed and the sixth one laid out to show the order of the beads and sequins on the thread before being sewn down.   Also shown is the pattern I marked on the fabric.  The diameter of this circle is 5/8".  

2. Around the middle dot, I put six more dots evenly spaced around. All these outside dots will be the centres of the petals which are the sequins.

3. Start on one of the outside dots by pulling your needle up through the dot to the right side of the fabric. Thread onto your needle one seed bead, one sequin upside down, one sequin right side up, one seed bead and one sequin right side up and two seed beads. Take the thread back down through the fabric close to the edge of the sequin and at the closest point to the middle dot. Do a few stitches on the wrong side to keep everything snug. Then move to the second dot in the outside ring.

4. Repeat until all six are finished.

This is the finished flower with two stamens in the centre.  

5. The centre. I came up through the middle dot, threaded 3 seed beads on the needle, and came back down through the centre of bottom two beads to the wrong side of the fabric. I repeated this a few times. They look like stamens. You could use a bigger bead in the middle if you want to.