I'm a long time lurker, first time posting. I figured if anyone would have a good idea how to do this, you all would. I have a birthday cake for next weekend for a guy who recently moved here from Scotland. The cake is to look like a kilt with his family's tartan. I figured to do a quarter sheet two layer, cut into the basic shape then cover with fondant, pleating it as I lay it over the top. Does anyone have suggestions for the best way to get the plaid pattern down. My initial thoughts are to roll out a thin sheet first, then cut out the squares and larger strips from colored fondant, lay them on top of the sheet and roll it together lightly, then painting in the finer detail lines. Would this work, and if so, how do I keep such a large piece from drying out too much to put on the cake while I'm working on it?

Yeesh, not sure what I was thinking to take this on....

Thanks for any advice you could send my way.

I've actually done sewing with kilts(not many) but since your kilt is pleated You could create the kilt in pieces that are pleated starting on one side and work way across. \\pleat will hide where you stopped because you overlap it. I would have base colour and then lay thin strips ( keeping it straight) of the plaid. Why not roll over it so it works into base colour a bit. Keep all your stuff covered with plastic so it won't dry. Be sure to mark top so each pleat is even, they actually use a set position of plaid to do pleat and it always is even. I've forgotten the actual name of the bag/purse they wear as well. Will you include that? Hope this helps
\\Happy New Year CCers

I went to google and typed in 'plaid cake', and clicked images. there were a couple of good examples there.

If I were going to make this cake, I would make the 2 layer quarter sheet and shape like you are saying. I would roll my fondant out, perhaps in a base color, or just white, in a solid sheet, and then paint with vodka and food gels to get the desired plaid look. Instead of pleating the fondant (won't that be too thick?)
I would cut the fondant in strips and overlap them slightly to make them look pleated.

Details: How about one of those nice fancy pins they use to keep the kilt closed with? After all, we all know about the rumors of what they really wear under their kilts, now don't we?!


Oh, I just googled, 'kilt cake', lots of good stuff there too!

Thanks for the suggestions. Think I'll try doing a mock up of it in miniature either tomorrow or Monday, that way I can try out a couple of these ideas before doing it on the real one.

Yes, I am planning on doing the sporran, probably with modeling chocolate. Here's hoping it comes out the way it looks in my head.

This may help give you some ideas on techniques

Here's a tutorial I used a few weeks ago to make a Scottish tartan using an airbrush

http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/tartan_tutorial.pdf

The tartan I did had darker colours so I ended up having to paint some of my lines on, but you end up with a pretty realistic looking tartan. This how mine turned out:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=353586144654761&set=pu.186289808051063&type=1&theater

I was wondering if you had a edible printer couldn't you print the plaid on edible paper and apply it to your fondant & then use the swag method?