Depending on how well you do with written instruction, Wilton's sugarpaste kit is a good place to start. It comes with a a book and most tools needed to do basic things. I'm more a visual hands-on learner. I had to take classes and still struggle.
Yes, the Wilton kit is a good place to start. In addition, I would suggest the confectioner's set from Wilton with the balling tool and various tools. Stock up on florist wire - some covered white and green wire and some 24 gauge wire. You may need artificial stamens for some flowers and these are also usually available at dollar stores and craft stores. I prefer to make most of my flowers on the round-tipped toothpicks, available at a good price at a dollar store. I also use wooden skewers for larger flowers - the kind you would normally use for the barbecue for shishkabobs. You will need a fondant roller - the smaller rolling pin is a good idea and a larger one if you are doing larger quantities. I use lots of plastic wrap and freezer bags, to store cut, but not yet formed petals etc. I also store my fondant or gumpaste in double freezer bags. You will need foam to allow your flowers to dry on. I find the cheapest way to purchase this is at building supply store - I buy the styrofoam insulation sheets that comes in 4'x8' lengths. I cut it into managable sizes. For many flowers that have a centre bud - like the rose, you need to allow this bud to dry 4-8 hours before attaching petals. I find that for each row of petals, you need to be able to allow drying time too, so if you can stack a couple of sheets of foam on a higher pedestal or hang it somewhere where you will be able to hang your flowers from it upside down to stop petal drooping. I stack a few sheets on top of a pot or pedestal dish and weigh it down. I then hang the flowers from the underneath part that extends over the pot or dish so the flower is upside down at various angles to suit my needs.
In addition, get as many different sized leaf cutters as you can find - one leaf does not suit or fit all flowers.
There are various veining pads for you to use when you are veining your leafs, you use a balling tool on the fondant or gumpaste after you place it on this disc-like tool. The Wilton kit does come with one, but you may wish to purchase others.
You use a ball tool to thin out petal and leaf edges and you do this on a piece of a spongey type foam. I find that the packing material that is like an etremely thin plasticy foam sheet, is very useful when you need foam for this purpose.
You will probably want to buy some petal dusts, lustre dusts and pearl dusts for special effects.
I also find that having the real thing - for example a real rose, handy to duplicate as you form your flowers, is very useful. When I first made a rose, I purchased two the same colour. One to look at as guidance as to how petals are attached and formed and the other to actually pull apart and see each individual petal and the sturcture. Books on flowers are handy - they aid in both structural duplication and colour duplication.
You will find that there are many cutters available and that some are better when you wish to duplicate a flower more exactly.
To glue each petal as you go along, you will need royal glue, a mixture in the following ratio - 1 tsp. meringue powder to 1 tsp. of water. I use a small paintbrush or decorator brush to apply this sparingly.
You will also need good cardboard boxes or plastic storage containers to store your dried and finished products. Since I create most flowers on toothpicks or skewers, I usually cut another piece of foam to fit my boxes - I prefer heavy duty cardboard boxes, and then I store my flowers attached to the foam, in a cool dark place. I usually don't store items for at least 2 weeks after they are made to allow them to air-dry as much as possible. You do need to store them away from any direct light as many colours will fade or change when exposed to any form of light source.
Here is a tip, I find that the biggest mistake people make when they make fondant or gumpaste flowers and leaves, is that they do not thin out the petal or leaf edges enough. This is particularily an issue with the leaves. If you do not thin out the outer edges of your leaves, they will have the appearance of "cookie cutter leaves". Unfortunately, it will detract from your lovely flowers. To avoid this, I do roll my leaves out thinner to begin with and then I really use that balling tool on the edges, while the leaf sits on the veining pad. I literally stretch the edges out to get a more natural effect. Allow your leaves to dry in various directions on the Wilton flower formers. For a cheaper version of these, I use the inside cardboard tube from a roll of Saran Wrap. These are great because you can dry leaves on the roll the way it is, or you can cut it in half and the cardboard doesn't come apart. Then I cover it with a piece of Saran Wrap and lay the leaves on the concave or convex side. They come in handy when you have 3 or 4 hundred leaves to dry and only one set of Wilton flower formers, believe me.
Have fun with this. You may discover that you will want additional cutters as you gain experience, but to start, follow the instructions in the Wilton book and go on from there. Once you get the idea, there will be no stopping you. Be prepared to spend a long time with these though. They do take a lot longer than buttercream or royal icing flowers, but they are worth it.
Hugs, Squirrelly Cakes
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