Basically, I was afraid to over-pull the sugar, so I under-pulled it, and it didn't have the shine it needs to have (the leaves and petals were almost transparent, and that is considered a mistake). Chef T pointed out to me what should be done to fix this problem - I have to pull the sugar about 25 times and make sure it has a nice shine to it for Monday's sugar showpiece exam.
I still have difficulty making a rose and ribbon. With the ribbon, Chef N's technique proved tough for me, because I couldn't get nice straight stripes on the ribbon (mine were wobbly and made the ribbon look ugly), so I ended up using Chef H's technique and was at least able to make a couple of ribbons.
I used poured sugar to make a turntable (like the ones we use for cakes), and then I placed the flowers on the turntable. I was trying to arrange the flowers in a L-shape design, which is a common floral arrangement form used by florists. (Aside: I had learned this L-shape arrangement when I did a short course in floral arrangement as a hobby years ago.)
But my problem here was I didn't have enough volume in my flowers...
As you can see from the photos above, the flowers I have on the poured sugar turntable are way too flat and lifeless. Fortunately, there is an easy fix, thanks to Chef T's feedback. He gave me an excellent tip on how to create more volume to my flowers.
Anyway, I am so glad I had the opportunity to do a trial run for the exam, because I now know exactly what needs to be fixed by Monday morning.
I am going to keep the basic design and layout that I have here, but work on my techniques over the weekend.
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PS. I dedicate this showpiece to my beloved sister. Happy Birthday tomorrow!
