Get Crafty!

may 3, 2010

Get Crafty!
Cakes dream of getting dolled out. Here’s how to DIY

WRITTEN BY Melissa Bigner
photographed BY roo way

Maybe it’s because Mother’s Day is this weekend, but we can’t help but thinking about pretty crafts. And one of our favorite things is a crafty cake. Seriously. Here’s a little how-to to transform a plain Jane confection into a va-va-va-voom number. Want to follow suit? Have a family member or professional baker create a simple cake (meaning no decorations, just tiers and plain icing) then add your own easy—but elegant—handcrafted touches. Here, we paired with The Cake Stand and Ooh! Events to show us how vintage lace can become rosettes that the groom, groomsmen, and this sweet treat can wear.

Fabric Rosette Cake Decorations

You will need:
• Ribbon or narrow strips of fabric (we like silk, eyelet lace, and organic muslin)
• Needle and thread
• Vintage button or pearl
• Fabric glue (we recommend Fabritac)
• Floral wire
• Semi-sphere of craft foam

Step 1: Choose fabric, ribbon, or lace that is no more than 2 1/2 inches wide. (We suggest lightweight materials that will gather easily.) Cut seven-inch strip and using needle and thread, make a loose over-under stitch along the bottom edge.

Step 2: Carefully gather the strip accordion style, scrunching the fabric along the stitch line from Step 1.

Step 3: Shape the gathered fabric into a rosette and joining it at the center and ends with hand stitches. Sew or glue a vintage button or pearl in the center.

Step 4: Curve floral wire into a U (or use pearl-headed pins) and run through the face of each bloom so a stem is on the underside.

Step 5: Cover semi-sphere with blooms by forcing stems into it foam. When finished, place atop cake as topper.

Step 6: Root remaining rosettes into cake layers as decoration, saving enough blooms to fashion into boutonnieres.

*Rosettes made by Anne Melvin-Girault

Fabric Rosette Boutonniere

You will need:
• Fabric rosette (see above)
• Floral wire
• Floral tape
• Small ribbon to cover floral tape
• Straight pin

Step 1: Create fabric rosettes per instructions above.

Step 2: Cut a six-inch piece of floral wire. Fold in half.

Step 3: Pierce the center of the rosette with the wire, and pull it through to form a stem. Cover the wire with floral tape. Wrap stem with ribbon.

Step 4: Affix to suit lapel with a pearl-headed pin.

*Boutonnieres made by Anne Melvin-Girault

Cake Details:
Three-tiered strawberry shortcake layered with strawberry filling, iced in Italian meringue buttercream, and decorated with Swiss dots.
Serves: 75 ($413)
• Cake from The Cake Stand

Want more how-tos for cakes? Click here.