Video. Making Sugar Flowers: Gumpaste Dahlia, The Range is Endless, How Many did You Make?

Dahlia is one of the most beautiful flowers there are, some might say.  It is also one of the most frequently requested, popular commercial flowers to make out of gum paste and feature on cakes.   For that reason, there's little wonder that sugar artists all over the world are ever so slightly obsessing over it, making it in all sizes  and colours ( or all pale colours if we talking UK here, lol)

I'm no different, I must admit.  In my ambition to learn how to make good quality online tutorials about making beautiful sugar flowers, Dahlia was my first 'how to' flower making video. It was well received by my Youtube audience and though, looking back at it now, I would have changed plenty of things, the truth is, that I'm really pleased I made it, pleased that it's my popular vid.  Talk about feeling encouraged to make more tutorials on how to make sugar flowers!



My own experiences aside, the question I'm asking myself is this: 'With all the love to this flower so eagerly captured in sugar all over the world, surely there would be tons of sugar artists who can honestly say that they have 'conquered Dahlia'?'  But if you think about it, have they, have we, really?

Just try searching 'Dahlia' or 'Chrysanthemum' ( or various spellings of it, lol). The immense variety of flowers will pop up, some with the obvious names such as  Spider Dahlia or  Pom-Pom Dahlia but most, seemingly nameless, totally distinctive, different from each other and incredibly beautiful, like the dresses you see at the Oscars.  How many 'sugar crafters' actually  made more than one or two in the range?   What are they called, the  most distinctive ones Dahlia Blooms, at least?  There must be common names for them, not the serious botanical ones that no one can pro-nounce?  Anyone knows?

Currently, I'm working through my own Dahlia challenge, accumulating the  collection of gum-paste Dahlia varieties (just take a peek at Cakelosophy  Instagram posts as of late ), and would absolutely love to see the work of sugar or polymer clay artist who went through and made a good few of these flowers, never mind all of them!  Can anyone point me to one of those?

Individually wired Dahlia, the most common type you see everywhere,  was my most difficult flower to learn to date, but the one I'm proud of the most, too.  I can make it with my eyes closed these days, I think ( though don't hold me to it, lol)

What are your  own experiences with making sugar Dahlias? Love them?  Hate them? Keep yours pale and interesting or love colour? What would you like to learn about making them or struggle with the most?  Would love to hear, here or on Instagram.  thanks for reading.

( Please let me know if any problems posting, I'd sorted out my posting glitch now , I think.)