Tel: 01253 780888
HOW TO USE PATCHWORK CUTTERS
Patchwork Cutters are designed and manufactured by Marion Frost and come in a vast range of fabulous cutters and embossers for all occasions and all types of cakes. They are very detailed and can be used in many different ways making them very versatile.
In this demonstration I will show you how to use the bottle cutter to make a decoration which is great for all sorts of special occasions from birthdays to weddings and anniversary celebrations
You will need:
- Non stick board and rolling pin
- White fat such as Trex or White Flora
- Mexican Paste
- Palette Knife
- Food colours
- Patchwork Cutters - Bottle and Glass cutter
Colour a small piece of Mexican paste to a medium green colour - paste colours give the best result and I have used Gooseberry Sugarflair colours for my paste.Also colour a small piece for the label - any colour could be used depending on your taste - mine is coloured with Melon Sugarflair Paste food colouring.
Go to "Colouring your paste" to find the best method to obtain the colour that you want
Rub your non stick board and rolling pin with white fat. Do not over grease - a thin coat, well rubbed in should be fine. Knead your paste ( a little white fat rubbed onto your hands will prevent it sticking) and roll out thinly.
Trial and error is really the only way to know how thick to roll out the paste as different cutters require a different depth of paste to give the best result. The more small detailed areas there are the finer the paste will need to be.
Rub a little white fat over all the cutting edges of the bottle cutter.
Place the bottle cutter onto the paste and carefully press all around the outline of the bottle. Just lightly press the central sections (label). By doing this you should cut through the outline but only mark the detail of the label without cutting through the paste.
Carefully remove all the excess paste from around the bottle.
I find that if you can remove the paste while the cutter is still in place you get a cleaner cut.
Repeat for the label using the yellow paste.
Note - You only need to make sure that you roll the paste large enough to cover the parts of the cutter that you require, in this case the bottle label and neck label. Remove excess paste as before. A toothpick or scriber is perfect for the job!
Colouring and Finishing Touches
If you are colouring your paste with lustre colours I find it best to do it straight after cutting out while it is still on the board. This ensures a really shiny finish and stops dust from getting onto your finished cake. It also gives the paste a little time to firm up slightly making it less likely to stretch when you pick it up.
Use a soft dry brush and the lustre colour of your choice. Brush it over all the areas that you want to have lustre. The grease from rolling out helps to keep the lustre in place.
Lift the bottle away from the board by sliding a palette knife carefully underneath.
If you want this to be a free standing decoration place it on a flat piece of foam to dry. This ensures that the front and back of the shape dries equally.
If you are positioning it directly onto a cake moisten the cake surface slightly with a little edible glue and place the bottle in position.
The label can be dusted in the same way as the bottle or alternatively you could paint the label details - if you like art you could even copy an original champagne label! If the painting is very detailed it is probably better to wait and paint it once the bottle is complete and dried as otherwise the paste may dry out and crack before you can apply to the bottle.
Do be careful not to touch the front of the label if you paint first - you don't want to smudge it!
Brush a little edible glue on the bottle - the guidelines imprinted in the cut out will show you where the labels are to go.
Lift the labels carefully with a palette knife as before and apply. This completes your bottle.
The glass is made in a similar way to the bottle with a second layer being added for the bowl and base of the glass.
A GREAT DECORATION FOR ALL TYPES OF CELEBRATION!
For all your equipment - Online Shop or Ebay shop
Any questions? Contact Us
TO PRINT
Go here for a printable copy of this worksheet
www.partyanimalonline.co.uk