Sewing and knitting themed cupcake toppers

My good friend and fellow blogger Mrs Bennett is celebrating her birthday today. Like me, she is baker and craft lover and I wanted to create something extra special as a birthday surprise. These sewing and knitting themed cupcake toppers are bright, colourful, and very straight forward to create, plus they make a fabulous gift when boxed up. The toppers can be made in any size to fit cupcakes, miniature cupcakes, or used together to decorate a full-size cake.

You will need
500g white fondant
150g petal/florist paste
Wilton gel colours
cocktail sticks
a garlic press
edible glue and paintbrush
silcone button mould
a range of large cutters
rolling pin
fondant tools

Method
To make the button toppers, use the large cutters to cut out four shapes, in different colours, from fondant rolled to about 5mm thick. I used the purple, green, blue and pink Wilton gel colours and a heart, circle, fluted circle and star cutter to make mine. Put to one side. Split the petal/florist paste into four equal parts, and using the gels, colour each part to a paler shade of the four original colours. Wrap three of the coloured balls of petal/florist paste in cling film, as only one is needed at a time. Press small amounts of the coloured paste into the silicone button mould, taking extra care to push it into the whole space. Using a palette knife, or a finger, take off the excess so the paste is flat to the surface and all the button spaces are filled. Put the filled mould into the freezer for fifteen minutes, until the paste has harden in the mould. Finally, gently bend the mould to release the buttons. Repeat the process with the other three colours of paste. Using some edible glue and a clean paintbrush, arrange the buttons on top of the four large shapes. Use to decorate cupcakes topped with buttercream.

To make the thread toppers, use the large cutters to cut out four shapes, in different colours, from fondant rolled to about 5mm thick. I used the purple, green, blue and pink Wilton gel colours and a heart, circle, fluted circle and star cutter to make mine. Put to one side. Roll a piece of coloured fondant into a cylinder, about a centimeter in diameter, then press the remaining fondant through a clean garlic press to create thin strands of coloured fondant. Using the edible glue and a clean paintbrush, lay the strands across the cylinder to create the ‘thread’ on the cotton reel. Repeat until you have a cotton reel in all four colours. Using red, blue and yellow gel, create some brown fondant. Roll eight pieces of brown fondant into balls and flatten with your palm to create eight discs. Use a small ball tool to make a hole in the centre of each disc, and using the edible glue, attach a disc to the each end of the cylinders. Glue the assembled cotton reels and spare buttons onto the four large shapes. Use to decorate cupcakes topped with buttercream

To make the wool toppers, use the large cutters to cut out four shapes, in different colours, from fondant rolled to about 5mm thick. I used the purple, green, blue and pink Wilton gel colours and a heart, circle, fluted circle and star cutter to make mine. Put to one side. Roll a piece of coloured fondant into a ball, about 1.5cm in diameter. Create thin strands of fondant using the garlic press and stick them onto the ball of fondant using the edible glue, to produce balls of  ‘wool’. Push some brown fondant through the garlic press to create eight thin brown strands for the knitting needles. Roll out a piece of coloured fondant and lay thin strands of fondant (in the same colour) on top in a woven crisscross pattern. Use a rounded blossom colour to cut out a ‘woven’ shape. Repeat these processes until you have four balls of wool, four woven flower shapes, and eight knitting needles in different colours. Arrange on top of the large fondant shapes, and place on top of a cupcake topped with buttercream.

Arrange the finished cupcakes in a cupcake or gift box, and present as a gift to a craft-loving friend, or enjoy at home with a cup of tea.