
I can't seem to "get" the shell border. Granted, we only did it a few minutes in class and I haven't had a chance to practice since, but it was a bit tricky for me. They end up either coming out flat or too "mound-y" because I try pulling the tip up. Or they're too close or have no tail. Any tips on making them better?

Here's a link that teaches you the shell border.
http://www.baking911.com/decorating/pb_pipe_shells.htm
HTH

I had a really hard time with the shell border also. I learned by taking it one shell at a time. I was getting to frustrated when I was trying to do the whole border at once. So I broke it down into doing one shell at a time. Then i gradually added speed.
I am not sure if this made sense or not. Basically instead of looking at it as a border. Look at it as shells. Practice getting A shell looking good then start to overlap them.
I still have to look at it this way sometimes. For somereason it just doesn't come easy to me. I could do the reverse shell no problem and it is still one of my favorite, but the shell border confused me for months (and i worked in a bakery so that was interesting to say the least!)
HTH

ack! with the ton of tips i have bought over the past few years, i don't have a #21 to make shells. can i use an 18 or should i use bigger than 21?
this will be my first time with a shell border. wish me luck!
thanks!

jescapades, you can really use just about any "star" type tip to make a shell border. I use 18 a lot.
Here's how I can explain the shell border, I don't know if it will help you at all:
start by piping a small "mound" of icing, with the bag straight up.
and then keep squeezing and pull the bag away and slightly down. then stop squeezing.
pick where you want to start the next shell. you can do them close to the mound part or towards the tail, whatever you like.
repeat.

Here is my quick tip for you, since it sounds like you know what you don't like about your shells.
Spacing- Leave some room between shells so you can see the tapering.
Pressure- Apply the most pressure at the beginning and slowly lessen your pressure to create a tail.
Angle- Keep your angle the same and avoid pulling upwards.
Hope all that helps, but if it was your first time doing them, then really all you need to do is practice and experiment with different techniques until you find something that works for you.
My final advice-Consistency is the reason a great shell border looks great. If you can get all your shells to look the same, then you will have a good-looking border.
Hope that helped,
Angie

MrsMom,
I don't make perfect shells by any means, but here are my pointers:
a) as you start to squeeze, push the tip away from you just a little bit before you pull it. That will make the nice clean little curved head.
b) to get the nice tail your icing has to be thin enough or else it will break.
c) practice practice practice
d) relax and don't over-think it. I find if I'm relaxed the shells look better and more uniform. But really take time to practice. Your patience will be rewarded!
Good luck!


MrsMom,
I don't make perfect shells by any means, but here are my pointers:
a) as you start to squeeze, push the tip away from you just a little bit before you pull it. That will make the nice clean little curved head.
b) to get the nice tail your icing has to be thin enough or else it will break.
c) practice practice practice
d) relax and don't over-think it. I find if I'm relaxed the shells look better and more uniform. But really take time to practice. Your patience will be rewarded!
Good luck!
I totally agree with tip 'a'! They dont really tell you that in the wilton classes and mine always looked ruffly for lack of a better word. Anyway on day I did the pushing forward thing and it was a EUREKA moment!

Thanks for the tips! My shell border needs some work.
Your border turned out great!
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