I am doing a hawaiian themed cake for a 50th anniversary. I am trying to make some hibiscus. It is hard. When I try to ruffle the petals they will not ruffle. Any tips? Also I am making some plumeria with a all in one rose cutter. I am going to make a bouquet on a half strofoam ball. How can I wire the plumeria so that I can put it in the ball for the bouquet? Thanks for any help you can give me. I am stressed over this. I need to get these done early before the actual cake because of other things I have to do in between.

It sounds to me like your gp is off What brand/recipe are you using? Another option: I remember reading about a week ago someone who was having similar problems and it turned out the problem was solved by using a different ball tool.
Can't help w/the wiring - I almost never wired any flowers much preferring to make my flowers w/o any wires if at all possible.

It is the premade Wllton Fondant

Maybe RI a wire on after they have dried?
If back of flowers won't be seen...make a small circle at top of wire and use RI to glue it onto the flower. hth

Make sure the gumpaste or fondant is rolled thin to where you can almost see through it. This usually helps the gumpaste/fondant to ruffled when using a ball tool. I've tried making both of these flowers. The plumerias requires a slightly thicker petal, the hibiscus requires a thinner petal. I use a manual pasta machine to roll mine out. HTH.

I did all those suggestions you made. I am using gumpaste.

Have you tried dipping your ball tool in a mixture of cornstarch and powder sugar, shake off the excess powder to roll, really it is a light drag of the tool on the edge of the petals?

Spent all day and only got about 5 hibiscus I will be able to use. I have a nice cell pad and hibiscus veiner and I can barely see the veins and could not get ruffle . I am following all the I love cake decorating . I am a buttercream girl but love using fondant for other things. I am using Wilton gumpaste. Any other ideas? I wish I like making flowers but I do not.

I really hate Wilton gumpaste for flowers. Satin Ice is so much nicer to work with!

You would like making them a lot better of your set that Wilton gumpaste on fire and made a batch of Nicholas Lodge's homemade gumpaste recipe.

Wiltom makes the worst products in the entire universe.

FromScratch, do you have a recipe for his gumpaste? I have Linda McClure's recipe that works great in my Silhouette, but I don't love it for flowers.

Plumeria are not so easy to make from an all-in-one cutter as they are from 5 petals. The classic British method for plumeria is to wire the centre, then the petals are twisted onto that and dried, so there is a wire stem to use.

The Lodge recipe is here:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-615419-15.html DO NOT substitute any other material for the tylose.

Thanks for recipe BakingIrene!