Hi y'all,
I was just looking at some of the cakes in the Gallery of people that are taking the Wilton Classes. The look so pretty and they are learning so much. I am very happy for them but it saddens me at the same time. I want to take these classes and learn how to make all the beautiful flowers. I try to teach myself but it is just so hard to learn on your own. I can't take the classes because I work nights and every other weekend. I just feel that the hope I once had for making beautiful cakes is gone

Lazy_Susan

Susan, you have made some magnificentt progress for a person doing this without classes. If there are some things that are giving you trouble, have you looked into getting some of the instructional videos? That may help. The rate you have been going though, I don't think you will have a problem. You went from 0-60 in no time at all!

Don't fret........there are a lot of places that offer cake classes.......check at your local craft stores.....a lot of the ones where I live offer the classes for a reasonable price, also check out your local community centers...a lot of them offer them too, my craft stores also offer the classes at a lot of different times......some morning, some nights, weekends, etc.

I must say those classes are very valuable...but as long as you have the books, supplies and time to practice, I'm sure you can do it on your own. The instructor just explains the instructions...but even now, When i need to remember how to do something, I read, practice on the practice board, then on a pan until i get it right and then on the cake. All the instructions are there, in english, and it's really easy...you just need patience and some time to practice. You'll do fine!!

Oh, Susan! Your roses and drop flowers are perfect. As for the other flowers, get out a Wilton yearbook and just practice like heck on all of the other flowers you want to learn. I'm just finishing Wilton 1 and am looking forward to learning the flowers, too. Your cakes are gorgeous, btw. I'm sure you can master the other flowers on your own. Keep at it, girl!

I took the Wilton classes and it was good for learning how to make buttercream and I also learned a few good tips...however...everything that I have made and posted, I pretty much taught myself how to do and the flowers that we learned to make in the classes...no one has ordered them! So don't worry...just keep plugging away and everything will work out!!

OH my we can all get down on ourselves and always too hard on ourselves but you don't have anything to worry about. Your cakes are wonderful and the buttercream roses looked like you have taken classes...I did learn alot from the classes but I think the books helped me more than the teacher did. If you enjoy doing cakes then there should be nothing stopping you, you are doing an amazing job with your cakes and we all have so much to learn......thank goodness for this web site has saved me a few times.....I know here in Canada they have classes during the day for the people that work nights. Keep your chin up and enjoy what you are doing.

Cheer up there!

I looked at your photos and your cakes are great! Your roses are beautiful.

I took the classes and I learned how to make the flowers, but honestly, I don't ever use them. Personally I think they take too much time to make and let dry. I guess I could use them if I had to, but I normally don't plan that far in advance.

There are several other options for flowers. You can use real or artificial flowers. You can just skip the flowers all together. There are so many great designs that don't require flowers made of icing. You can also buy premade flowers (I'm not exactly sure if they are royal icing or what but they are definitely made of sugar)

There are options available to you until you get a chance to take the classes.


Keep trying! Don't give up!

Here is a link to the ones Wilton sells, there are many others out there too! (like for gumpaste and fondant etc.)

Instructional Videos - wilton

Thank you everyone

Susan, I feel ya! I work like you do. Plus now that I am in Germany, I couldn't find a class to save my life!! I think that for now I am doing okay on my own. But I would love to have the classes to help me work on the things that I am not doing well at or have yet to teach myself. I also don't get cake orders like I used to. There was a time I'd make 2 or 3 a week. Now I am lucky to get that in a month! It gets depressing, I know. But don't give up yet. I also have felt the fire wane from my decorating enthusiasm. Like the other day, I actually founf a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer(110v) here in Germany. I was so excited to finally be able to get one. But it is still in the box because I haven't got any orders to do. I was so happy and now I am depressed for having bought the thing and not needing to use it. So just keep your head up, kid!!! We will get our chance at class one day, too.
Tanya

Thank you. I just can't seem to get rid of the sad eyes

I looked at your cakes and don't understand why you are so hard on yourself. Your piping is very pretty, consident and uniform. Your cakes are uniform and stacked well. You are creative. I think you are giving classes way too much credit, nothing is better than actual practice. I think you can get more information from books and forums than an instructor will be able to give you in a class with 15 others. I find that there is so much to learn that it is hard to concentrate on learning one thing, like fondant. Sometimes I have to make myself focus one just one thing at a time. Forums are great places to ask questions. I hope this helps, your cakes are great, you can do this!

Susan,

I have been doing character cakes for a little over ten years and have self taught what I can do. I have tried many times to try to teach myself roses with no sucess. Your stuff is wonderful and I am impressed with what you can do being self taught. Just keep going and maybe one day we will both get to take the classes and learn the things we have not been able to teach ourselves.

is this a joke? you haven't taken any classes and you're that good?! you are way to hard on yourself. stop comparing yourself to others.
you have a lot a talent...just continue onward. the more you practice, the better you become!!!!

Don't be so hard on yourself! You are doing great! I am taking Wilton's course 2 right now, but I can say that I was teaching myself before I even started classes just from looking through books and coming on this site! If there is something you want to do put a message up here, the people here are skilled and ready to help! This site is better than any of the classes, the decorators can teach you more than any Wilton instructor and if I'm not mistaken I think there are even a few Wilton instructors on here that would probably be glad to give you pointers.

Don't get me wrong, the classes are great and they give you a gret atmosphere to practice in, but you can recreate this at home. Buy a couple of Wiltons books with step by step instructions in them on how to make different flowers borders etc... sit down and read and then practice, practice, practice! You will get it in no time. When you run into a snag ask for help from CC, I bet you get it.

And don't get down on yourself, your cakes are great, very creative and your rose is better than any that I made even after learning them in class!

you can buy vhs videos from wilton that will teach you the techniques ...

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/department.cfm?id=3E304D2A-475A-BAC0-5F8C5D59D19B2F7C&fid=3E3059CC-475A-BAC0-5B03ABE262967CE4

maybe you can find them on ebay

to be honest I wish I would have done that instead of the classes .... I would say the thing I learned the most in the classes was the consistency of the icings .... needless to say cake central is such a wealth of information.

Do you think they would have the videos at the library?

Are you kidding me??? Your cakes are absolutely gorgeous! You do excellent flowers already! I'm sad for you because you want to take the classes so badly, but you by no means NEED to take them!
I on the other hand, needed them! I learn better by the "show me" method, not good at teaching myself. So I really needed the classes. You are doing a great job of teaching yourself!

Keep up the good work!

definitely worth a try ...

I don't know... Maybe it is just that I feel that people who take the classes don't have as much to try to figure out as I do and that I am wasting so much time on just trying to figure it all out when others are shown how to do it and leave the class with that skill and knowledge. I know I shouldn't be so jealous of the people that can take the classes but I guess I just want to know how to do it all now! Plus I feel like I am missing out on something

Oh hun - don't be so hard on yourself!!! I just started cake decorating and I have been lucky enough to have been able to take levels 1, 2, and 3 (just 1 more class in level 3). One thing that I have learned though is that cake decorating takes LOTS of practice!! I feel discouraged too when I see all the beautiful cakes that people post. But - I just have to keep plugging away at it - it will all come together in time!!

I checked out the photos that you posted - you have made BEAUTIFUL cakes - without any classes too!!!! WOW!!!! I wish I could make flowers that pretty and I can't make a nice shell border to save my life!!!! KEEP TRYING!!!!!

Hey, anything worth doing takes lots of practice. I have always wanted to do this, and am lucky enough to be going to the Wilton classes at the local craft store. HOWEVER, it is evident by my first tries that this will take alot of practice before I can get something that is worth trying to sell. We are all beginners at one point. You are lucky enough to be able to learn this on your own and hopefully some day you will be able to take a class just to reinforce what you already know.

Deb

Lazy_Susan...call your library and ask if they have any instructional videos...otherwise definitely shop around on e-bay and on the internet...I would presume that the Wilton videos would be a great option because they would teach the exact techniques with instructors from their headqtrs and you can do it at your own time in the comfort of your home. I wish I had thought about that earlier myself. You could always buy the videos if the library doesn't have them and then turn around and sell them on e-bay when you're confident of your abilities...because you will be, you have such a great head start!!! You know how to make buttercream and royal icing - I didn't even know there was different kinds of icing when i got started last summer!!

I just wanted to add that if your library doesn't carry the instructional videos maybe you could request them. There have been a few times when I've looked for a book that the library didn't have and they bought it and I got to be the first person to borrow it. Also, perhaps your library is on a network inter-loan system like mine is. We can borrow books from 12 other libraries--you just have to fill out a form and have a little patience for them to get the book/video/magazine in.

Your cakes are lovely, by the way. Classes can only do so much--it's practice that counts.

I agree. Your cakes are beautiful. I took the Wilton classes mostly to learn the flowers, and you've got your roses down already. I picked up some extra hints too, but mostly I would say it's just practice time I would not have taken for myself without the class.

I know how you feel - Learning by the trial and error method can take it's toll on a person - I am completely self-taught and have always felt that there are some things that would be so much easier to learn if someone showed me - I live in an area that does not offer much in the way of instructional classes and I when I try to obtain supplies for projects I am frequently met with "you can do that?" - Keep on keepin on - in many years of decorating I tell people that I've fed a lot of garbage cans with my mistakes!

Hi,
I'm a Wilton instructor. If you really want to take the classes, I don't see any reason that you can't because of your work schedule. I have, on a few occasions, had people call me that cannot make evening classes and scheduled daytime classes just for them. You can call your local store, get the instructor's number, and I bet you can work something out. Most instructors, want to hold classes and are very flexible. We just schedule the majority of our classes in the evenings because those are the ones that get filled. I've tried offering daytime classes and there is never enough interest in them. The only problem you might have, is that some stores, like JoAnn, have a minimum number of students that they need to run a class. Do you have a few friends or relatives that would go with you?
Even though we do follow the books, I know most people need to actually see someone demonstrate a technique in order to really understand how to do it. It really helps when you're a visual learner. Don't give up, you can also contact Wilton and see if there are any other instructors in the area that may be able to help you. Good luck and keep in mind that you can always post a request for help.
Renae

Everyone is right Susan, your cakes look fantastic! I learned on my own too but wanted to take classes and was able to recently take all of the wilton classes. My instructor was great. Why don't you contact your craft stores and ask for the instructors name. They will give you their name and phone number and you could call them to see if they would be willing to give you a private class and negotiate a price with them? The videos are also an excellent idea too. Be proud of your cakes and talent!