Sweet Magazine 2013 - A Sweet Year Volume One, 2013 | Page 73

What is your favourite flower to create? I’ve made a lot of peonies over

jaqueline
butler

the years and they will always be a favorite, but I think the ranunculus
flower is what I enjoy making the most right now. I’m fascinated by the
never-ending layers of petals and the gorgeous colors, and I’m always
working towards making our version better and more delicate. The little
pink cosmos is a close second, and I’ve recently fallen in love with
cherry blossoms too.
I love that sugar flowers are so popular again and I love that so many
artists are making them with their own flare and style. I think we will
continue to see beautiful arrangements, but we’ll move away from the
oversized feature flower that stands alone on the edge of a tier. Smaller
and more delicate flowers and bouquets will be used to create a softer
look.
What is the most invaluable tool in your toolbox? I can’t live without an
FMM Knife Tool…it’s perfect for all of the little buds we make for our
arrangements, and I’m always using the pointed end to help me place
flowers in a tight bouquet. And the most unusual? Don’t laugh…but I
have a homemade “ball tool” that I made years ago…it’s actually a large
plastic grape (yes!) that is stuck on the end of a chopstick. It’s great for
cupping larger petals, and it’s what I used before I found larger metal
ball tools to work with. I still pull it out every once in a while!
What do you know now about cake decorating and sugar artistry that
you wish you knew when you first started? First, it’s so nice now to feel
comfortable using gumpaste, knowing all of the quirks and challenges
when working with it, and also being able to problem-solve on the fly,
but I wish I had worked with more real cake and fondant when I started
taking decorating classes many years ago. So many of the classes
I took concentrated on creating decorations on Styrofoam dummies,
and while practicing your sugar art is important, I now know that the
foundation of great cake making and creating a beautiful fondant or
buttercream finish are the skills I should have focused on as a beginner.
A gorgeously finished cake is the canvas for all of your decorations…
and having it close to perfect makes a huge difference in the final
product.
Second, learning how to make beautiful sugar flowers takes time
and effort, and you can’t improve unless you actually sit down and
practice…and then practice some more. It still doesn’t come naturally
to me…I spend a lot of time at my table working on techniques, playing
with petal dusts and coloring, and re-creating flowers over and over
again until I’m happy with them. Give yourself the time to learn.
And third, pay close attention to the little details that are important to
you during the creative process…they will help you develop your own
unique style.

You can read the full interview with
Jaqueline in the Spring issue of
Sweet Magazine available in the
AppStore.