Basic Decorating Techniques

Carnation

Think of a carnation as row upon row of ruffles piped over a center mound. It's a welcome flower in any season--try it with a striped bag (stripe a narrow tip side) for lovely color variation.

• Practice with tips: 12, 150 (104 is optional)
• Icing consistency: Stiff royal icing
• Bag position: For mound, 90° angle; For petals, 45° at 4:30 (7:30)
• Hold tip: For mound, slightly above surface; for petals, one end of tip touching mound, the other end straight up
• Flower nail: #7

1. Hold bag at 90° angle to flower nail. Use stiff royal icing. Pipe tip 12 ball on flower nail.

2. Using tip 150 (104 optional), pipe several upstanding petals in center of ball with a jiggling up and down motion, then circle them with ruffled petals.

3. As you continue piping rows of petals to cover ball, turn narrow end of tip farther out. Pipe last row of petals at base of flower with tip straight out.