I am having a terrible time getting floral wire to stay in place when I make the stems for gumpaste flowers. How am I suppose to wrap the floral tape to get them to stay still and suppor the flower? Help with the tulip, daffodil partcularily

Thanks

Is the wire is moving around in the gumpaste base for flower?

If so, you need to let the gumpaste dry before handling it. Also, you need to create a little hook at the end of the wire before inserting it into the base of the gumpaste flower.

Don't use tape until every thing is dry and ready to be fastened together with the tape.

Did you wire each petal for the tulip and daisy?

I am practicing with the Gumpaste flower making kit and did let the tulips dry, but I think it may be from not winding the floral tape properly. I have never used the tape before. I did make the hooks. Do the hooks go inside the flower or underneath with the base? Also, the holes seem larger than the wire. Could that be the problem also?

Thanks

I am not familiar with the Wilton kit - but the same general rules apply....

The little hook end should go into the base - so say you make a Daisy - you have that little yellow ball of gumpaste, hook in there and let it dry. Then each petal gets a smaller gage wire - no hook - just push it about halfway up the petal - careful not to poke through the petal on either side. Let each petal dry. Handle each item by its petal - not the wire. If the wholes seem bigger then the wire, then the wire was moving around in there when it was drying - try really hard to limit handling the wire too much.

The with the tape - hard to explain in writing (maybe I can take some pics of the process and send to you...) but here goes: start at the base of the flower - say the yellow ball center of the daisy - the point where the wire meets the gumpaste - start there. Take a peice of tape and pinch one end of the tape to the starting point i described - take it in btwn your thumb and your pointer finger and pinch it together. Then wind the tape slowly and carefully down the wire stem. (Maybe an inch down the length).

Then add a petal - bend the wire at the base where wire meets the gumpaste bend it back so that the petal is "facing up" like a 90 degree angle at the base. Hold it together with the yellow daisy center, the two wires together - and pinch a peice of tape at the bases (they should line up and look like a daisy that has had all but one petal plucked off). Wind the tape around slowly going down the wire - about an inch. Repeat with each petal - then vwalla.

I think I have a pic in my gallery here with a GP daisy in it....

Does that make sense? Its easier to show these things then to explain....

here's a daisy for inspiration.
I wire each petal, then tape them on, one by one.

An important point strech the tape as you wind it. This releases the glue that allows it to stick

Very true.

Also, I dip the end of the wire that is going into the gumpaste into a little egg white - wipe off all excess - then insert. It helps it stick.

Thanks everyone, I will try the methods listed. Also, one more fondant/gumpaste question (well, maybe one more in the future), but I have seen several bows, drapes that have different striped colors like red and white with the flag, maroon and gold with bows, etc...... how do you get the color to stripe that way?