So tonight I started the Wilton gumpaste course...so far it's disapointing.
We learnt how to color fondant and marble fondant, how to properly store fondant and then we covered a 12" cake board with fondant...That was all!
I'm bummed out a little...I paid 18$ for the course, 40$ for the student kit plus the fondant and gumpaste I needed for the class...grand total about 100$...and the first night was like 45min long!?!?!? What the heck! There's one girl in our class that drove about 2hrs to come, I really felt bad for her. Well I guess that's it for my mini vent...I have high hopes for the next three classes. Still wish they'd show us how to make a Calla Lily or an Orchid...does anyone know what exactly a fantasy flower is anyways????...LOL

I'm starting that course on Tuesday. We looked over the book in our last day of course 3 and decided that we could do it in two classes.
Honestly..looking through the book..i think i could figure out how to do it without going to class..but i really enjoy getting out and meeting with the girls.
Do you think if you asked your instructor she wouuld show you how to make other types of flowers. I'm going to try asking mine!

I know they have to follow very strict rules and only teach the Wilton way and out of the Wilton book for that course, so good luck squeezing some extra flowers out of her...I'm totally with you, I went tonight to meet a couple of local cake decorators that I knew would be there and get to know them a bit better. I think this class could be self taught as well, but it's nice to get out and talk cake...without stressing about the orders that are waiting...LOL

Don't get too disappointed. They have to do some basic instruction first for those who have never worked with it before. Now that mixing, storage, etc. is out of the way, I'm sure your next two classes will be nothing but fun and educational.

Yeah, if she doesnt teach ya what ya want, maybe just ask her...making friends in those classes is one of the best ways to learn new things....I am taking it next month and hopefully I can make some new pals to learn new things from! Have fun!

I didn't even know they had this class now. Can you take it at Micheal's also? I'm going to have to call the one near me and find out now lol. It's been awhile since I took the wilton courses, but I miss the girls to . No one here at my house cares about cake talk lol .

Yes you can take it at Micheal's...good luck getting your hands on a student kit and the rest of the supplies though...Micheal's seems to be sold out of everything you would need...

I haven't taken that course yet, but during the other three courses we asked our teacher to teach us some other things and she did. She stuck to the Wilton way on most things so I would definitely ask the instructor to teach you new/more things.

Does the student kit come with the book needed or do they give it to you when you sign up for the class. I have all the tools needed that are in the student kit, but was wondering about the book.

I went to my local Michael's last night to sign up for the gumpaste/fondant class, when I got to the counter the salesperson told me she couldn't find the sign up sheet and for me to come back in the morning when so and so is here. I was to through! The class starts Monday.

There is another store which is the same distance in the other direction from me, the only reason I didn't head over there is because I really like the instructor and I want to take this course with her. I won't be able to get back to the store till Sunday morning, so I hope I will be able to sign up then.

Keep us posted on what you learn in your next classes, I'm really interested to find out! I have been wanting to take a gumpaste class for the last couple years, but could never find anywhere to take one. 3 years ago when I took the Wilton courses, my instructor told us there was a course 4 coming out, and I have been watching for it ever since... I guess this is it

I was in the class with her. I agree disappointing. Hopefully the next one is better! Although, I really enjoyed the time to go out for coffee with mthiberge because I had a baby sitter for 2 hours

We should all email Wilton and tell them to get a Gumpaste FLOWERS class.

I am aware that you need permission......my suggestion was more that she bring it up to her WMI then her WMI can look further into it.

I kind of wondered about that. But think of it as a good place to start and then if you really want to take a professional gumpaste flower class save your pennies and take one from Nicholas Lodge.

I posted this on another thread but...

You have to remember who Wilton's target audience is. It is your every day average people that want to learn cake decorating. It is a beginning to the world of cakes.

You also have to remember that Wilton's teachers are not trained at some school in the knowledge of everything cakes. We are average people as well.

This class is meant as a further exploration into Fondant and an Intro to Gumpaste. If you are wanting to do advanced flowers then you will want to look into classes with the 'cake greats'.

I'm sorry many of you are dissappointed. But I do think that sometimes we have to be realistic about things. I seriously doubt you would ever see a Wilton class that teaches the very detailed gumpaste flowers or the awesome flowers you see some of the Masters do. There just is no way to train all the instructors to do so and if they could, the cost of the class wouldn't be $30 for 4 weeks.

As far as the other Gumpaste flowers class, not every instructor is allowed to teach them and you have to be approved from Wilton for that.

You know, I'm sorry, But I think if Wilton really wanted too, they could offer advance classes around the country. So they would have to charge more, so what. Let say they charge $250.- $300. for the advance gumpaste. I would pay that.
No not every Tom, Dick and Sue would show up at these classes. The ones that would pay are the ones that are serious about their craft. That is the way it should be for an advance class. They would have fewer students so the students that do sign up would get more individual attention to what they are learning. They would also sell more supplies, which is really the purpose of these classes anyway. Wilton really is missing the boat when it comes to advance classes. I asked my WI about them and she did say anyone could take these classes in Chicago. So I came home and checked them out. To take them there, would cost over $1000. for one class by the time one pays flight, hotel, food, class, etc. That is being unrealistic.

I decided to just not sign up for the class. It didn't seem worthwhile to even go although it is fun to take a class. You have to remember that the ONLY prerequisite is Course I to take the Fondant and Gum Paste Class and so they have to start with the "duhs".

Hi, I´m glad I found this thread, can anyone help me please... I´m starting this class tomorrow at my local Michael´s but something came up and I will not be able to attend, does any body know what I should bring to my next class (Sun Feb 11th)? I read at the beggining of this thread what they did on the first class, is that for ALL the classes nation wide? I tried calling Michael´s today and they would not give me the instructors number and they didn´t know what I should bring next Sunday. Any advice and help would be much appreciated, I really don´t want to miss anything...
Thanks so much.

I know how ya all feel and I haven't even tought my first class yet.

When they sent us our training materials I was so excited and could hardly wait, but when It came I was very disappointed. Many of us were told we would be teaching the calla lily, that it would be in the new course. It's Not.

AS for the Other Gumpaste Class I have tried Repeatedly to get permission to teach it but with no luck.

I'm told the class is too Old and out dated.

I was disappointed and bored as well with the lesson 1 . I hope that Lesson 2 is a little bit better. I would like to attend a totally gumpaste flower class as well and have mentioned it to my instructor; she said they don't have any to offer that she knows of. I hope that situation changes as I am very interested in learning more about gumpaste flowers.

Kathy

I had our first class tonight. It was enjoyable for the social aspect of it but mostly a review from fondant basics although thay have changed a couple of techniques (I partly think to sell more of their pretinted fondant.) I did enjoy covering the cake board as I had not done that before but it really isn't complicated after you have done cakes! Our class lasted 1 hr 45 mins. I don't know what will happen for next class as our Michael's store is sold out of fondant and gumpaste. Both are needed next class. I am making my own fondant. I figure i don't mind covering cake boards with Wilton fond. but it will never again be put on my cakes for eating!!

I went to Michael's this morning after having no luck Friday so sign up for Wilton 4. They still could not find the sign up sheet and the coordinator was not there. They just made up a sign in sheet for me so I could get signed up 24 hrs before the class. I was able to call my instructor and she told me what I needed for the class. I bought some fondant to cover the board, but I will still make MMF to cover my cakes.

Man oh man...this Wilton Micheal's combo is such a gong show....
I didn't know there was a detailed gumpaste flower's course KINDA availlable...I'm going to enquire. And just for the record I would pay the money if they would put something really great together...there's no other options than them where I live and honestly I'm REALLY tired of them pushing their product at me and not offering me anything really fantastic in return. I know I could just NOT take the course...but I keep having faith and high hopes in them...it's starting to wear off though.

I guess i expected it to be a "beginner" type course. However, I did not expect it to last 30 minutes when I've paid for 2 hours of instruction. That's what I was most disappointed in. The instructor ONLY taught for 30 minutes. Wilton needs to have enough things in a course to keep the students for 2 hours.

Really, since you have to have level 1 in order to take it, the students should all know how to BC a cake. Therefore, they should have taught covering a cake with fondant as well as covering a cake board. That would have taken more time and been useful to the people who have only taken level 1.

I was teaching Wilton last year and went to the teacher's meeting to be trained in this new course. It sounds like Wilton is doing different things in different areas. We were trained to teach the fantasy flower (a weird little flower-like thingy for lack of a better term), the calla lily, daisy, and carnation. We were told that forget-me-nots, sweet peas and the like were not to be taught and they wouldn't teach us.

While Wilton is very strict in their parameters, it sounds like something went very wrong in this class, you should definitely get more than 30 minutes instruction in any given night!!! Wilton is notorious for packing so much into a class that I've had students ask for additional private instruction before they felt confident to move on to the next level. If anything our classes used to run overtime!

As for Wilton's advanced courses, you can take those in Chicago for a fee of several hundred dollars. Nicholas Lodge teaches some of the gumpaste classes from time to time, and Collette Peters teaches there also. Details for these advanced classes can be found on the Wilton website. The classes available at Michaels and JoAnns are meant to be cheap and accessible for the novice student so they keep them generic.

I'm sorry to hear so many have had a bad experience from the learning end of Wilton, but then I had a bad experience from the teaching end of it. These things happen.