How to make a Gumpaste Stiletto

Wanna take a walk in my shoe?

This (not quite complete) high heeled shoe made entirely of gumpaste is one of 3 that is going to be featured on my competition cake at the end of June.

I've been experimenting with construction methods, trying to make them as realistic as possible without cheating-- no molds!

I made a cardboard template which I used to cut out the base of the shoe (from gumpaste).  Now, in the picture it looks black, in my living room it looks purple.  You can't win...

This sole is drying (to shape) on a chunk of fondant that I felt was too dry to cover cakes anymore.  There is parchment underneath to prevent sticking.  I tried to make my own drying mold using home made play doh-- bad idea.  For multiple reasons.  It isn't stiff enough, and moisture from the playdoh gets to your gumpaste, preventing drying and making it sticky.  Ideally, you want the gumpaste to have as much air exposure as possible when you're trying to dry it quickly.

For this shoe, I made a cardboard template and cut it out over and over again, stacking each little sliver of gumpaste on top of itself.  When gumpaste is fresh and sticky, it will stick naturally.  If it starts drying, you need to use something else-- I used tylo glue.

Slow progress...

Dried sole (this was done over a couple days), with a platform under the toe and a mostly complete heel.

The heel does have a dowel in it... for the record.

I used a clay gun to extrude a nice edging...

and I painted the sole and heel black.  You can see the contrast between the 'black' gumpaste and the true black color.

Then, I cut out a nice sole liner using my PME Design Wheeler (which I also use to do quilting), and painted it with a shimmery champagne luster dust.

Then, I extruded some straps, again using the clay gun:

Paper towels make great support structures for drying gumpaste...

A day or two later...

Fun, right?  I want to wear it, but I'm sure it's not strong enough... or big enough... ;)

More sugary shoes are coming soon...