Sugar Paste Designer Stiletto Platform Shoe Fun

sugar paste/ fondant platform stiletto tutorial

Sugar paste designer shoe gallery!

Sydney flew home this paste weekend to help teach a platform shoe class on Friday and demo how to create a sugar paste/ fondant shoe. We hadn’t had the opportunity to work together since spring break; it was wonderful to create the shoes with her. I had already prepared the pink designer sugar paste heel prior to her arrival the other two we created as we taught the class. The best way to learn how to work with sugar paste and/or fondant is to roll up your sleeves, pin up your hair, and use your hands! We both had a brilliant time with our students; unfortunately we had a family emergency and was unable to show the demo.

Designer Sugar Paste Platform Stiletto Shoe Tutorial:

Equipment:

Styrene platform or cake
Styrofoam heat tool
Tissue blade
X-acto knife
Wooden skewers or 18 gauge wire
Styrofoam block, to hold shoe
Decorative molds
Artist brushes
Needle tool
Fondant smoother
Fondant rolling pin
Sanding block
Facial mask
Ribbon cutter
Fondant covered drum
Hot glue gun
Cardboard
Pasta machine, optional
Make you Molds
Lace flower cutters, OP
Templates for shoe
Shoe drying ramp, Cake Crafters
Mini pizza wheel, JR
Templates

Materials:

Fondant, black, Fondarfic
Sugar paste/gumpaste, fondarific
Tylose powder
Edible glue
Crisco
Corn Starch

Prepare your mise en place.

If you plan to use cake, bake your cake after your heel has dried for one day. Carve the cake into a platform and angle the toe. Cover the cake with marzipan and fondant, use the color of your choice.

For Styrene Platform:

Styrene platform mise en place

With a pencil trace around the sole platform template, cut the foam with a hot tool for styrene foam or use a craft blade.

Put a mask over your mouth and nose and proceed to sand a slant on the toe portion. Smooth the sides of the styrofoam platform… the smoother you can get the styrofoam the nicer the fondant will lay.

Cut out all your templates, make sure to cut the small sole on a piece of cardboard. With a hot glue gun, glue the back of the small sole cardboard cut out, at the toe, and attach the template to the styrofoam platform. With a skewer push a small hole through the heel of the cardboard template. Place the prepared platform with the template on a styrofoam block and set aside.

The platform of the Stiletto:

Begin to knead with a small amount of crisco and soften your sugar paste (or color of choice).

Roll the paste in your hands to create a crease free ball. Turn the ball into a pear shape, elongate the pear to taper at the bottom about 3mm to 5mm, leaving a wide enough top to fit under the heel form, about 2cm.

Smooth the heel with fondant smoothers. With your smoothers mold an angle to your heel in a “T” shape with slope. Carefully and slowly twist a skewer through the top of the heel to the bottom. The skewer needs to be as centered as possible.

Re-shape the heel with your fondant smoothers.

Decorative Strip:

Knead and condition your sugar paste, roll the sugar paste with a small paste rolling pin, and place in a pasta machine to #4 thickness. Cut with a mini pizza wheel cutter and taper the bottom to mimic the heel. Brush a small amount of edible glue on the front of the heel, attach, and smooth with fondant smoothers.

Cut the top of the heel with a tissue blade straight down.

The Tap:

Take a marble size of kneaded black fondant about 3mm to 5mm/ 1/4-inch thick. Take your heel push the bottom of the skewered heel through the black fondant. Carefully create an impression of the bottom of the heel on the piece of black fondant. Cut the impression mark and glue, with edible glue or sugar water, the black fondant onto the bottom of the heel. Place the heel into the styrofoam block and allow to dry overnight.

The Platform and Sole of the stiletto:

Roll out some black fondant mixed ,with 1-2 teaspoons of tylose, to a #0 on a pasta machine, generously apply edible glue to the bottom of the styrene platform, smooth the black fondant, make sure the black fondant covers the incline toe portion..set aside.

The sole:

Start with the bottom of the sole, roll out prepared sugar paste to #1 on the pasta machine. Using the larger sole template cut the back of the sole (use x-acto blade), make sure to turn the template to the opposite side for the back sole. Apply a small amount of edible glue to the back of the cardboard. Attach the sugar paste to the cardboard. Use your tissue blade to cut the fondant sole back where it meets the styrofoam.

Repeat the exact same steps for the front of the sole, taking care to turn the template right side up. Add the edible glue to the ivory fondant and the top of the cardboard. Smooth the two pieces together until they look like one. Use a small amount of crisco to bind the edges.

The side of the platform:

Roll out the sugar paste to a #1 on the pasta machine, using a ribbon cutter with separators to the width of the platform and length around 30cm/ 12-inches. Apply a generous amount of edible glue to the side of the styrofoam. Starting at the back of the platform wrap the sugar paste around the sides of the platform. Cut the sugar paste in the back, so that the two pieces come together. Cut out the toe piece so the black peaks out.

Decorative Inset:

If you look at any designer shoe there is a decorative inset.

Using the decorative inset template (it resembles a fish). Cut a prepared conditioned sheet of sugar paste, #4 thickness on a pasta machine apply edible glue to the back of the decorative inset and lay it 1/8-inch from the edge of the toe to the start of the back of the heel. For the back of the heel, prepare a sheet of conditioned sugar paste to # 4 thickness and cut out the back heel inset. Use a metal pounce wheel to add stitching.

Attaching the heel:

Take a small amount of scrap sugar paste add a generous amount of edible glue to create a sugar paste glue that will match your heel. With the back of a knife smear the sugar paste until it becomes very tacky and goopy. With a small blade apply just enough to adhere to the heel, gently press the back of the heel to the sole. This might take a few minutes to adhere.

Once the heel is attached cut the skewer as close to the heel as possible.

Designing the shoe:

Heel Strap:

To create a realistic shoe roll out some sugar paste in a pasta machine to #1, lay the sugar paste on your work station. Roll out another color of sugar paste to a #1 on the pasta machine. Place the two pieces together one on top of the other, and place in the pasta machine to # 1.Using your heel strap template cut out the heel strap to your shoe. Apply glue to the edge and down the sides of the shoe. Be patient it takes a little bit of time to adhere the back strap. You might have to play with the fondant to achieve a good fit.

The heel strap is a template I created, different for each shoe.

Peep Toe:

I created a peep toe for each of the shoes. Prepare you two sided color as you did for the heel strap. Using the peep toe template double sided sugar paste. Apply your edible glue to the top edge on the front of your shoe, leaving the toe portion alone. Bend the toe strap adhere one side at a time. Place with Viva paper towel, plastic bags, or foam filling under the toe strap, to keep the peep toe from collapsing inward. Allow to dry for several hours to overnight.

The Pink Glitter Shoe:

The Sparkle Shoe!

I created the decorative touches with Op lace flower cutters. I cut out three flowers for each of the flowers, Using B-4, B-3,B-2 . I placed the largest flower in a celcup added a drop of glue. Next attach the next size down, repeat with the smallest size.

Allow the flowers to dry and create a sugar paste glue the same color as the flower or shoe and attach. Apply glitter with a dusting brush.

Sydney’s Pink and Lime Shoe: