Gumpaste Freesia Sprays | The Missing Piece of Your Sugar Bouquet

In this tutorial: What You'll Need · Make the Buds · Cut and Shape the Blossoms · Wire the Closed Blossoms · Make an Open Blossom · Color the Flowers · Assemble the Spray · Shape and Finish

Freesia sprays are one of the most versatile filler flowers for sugar flower arrangements and cake designs — they add natural movement and elegance without requiring advanced sculpting skills. In this tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art shares his own take on the freesia, shaping the buds to drape downward rather than standing upright. The result is a graceful spray that works beautifully cascading off a cake or tucked into a larger floral arrangement.

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What You'll Need

• Gum paste (100%) — not a fondant/gum paste blend; pure gum paste dries firm enough to hold the delicate bud and petal shapes
• PME freesia cutter — for cutting the six-petal blossom shape
• Pasta machine (recommended) — roll to about #4 (or #3–4 if your machine starts at zero)
• Cel pad (firm side) — for thinning and elongating petals
• Cel pin (small roller) — for rolling out petals on the pad
• 26-gauge or 24-gauge floral wire — white; cut into quarter lengths for buds and blossoms
• 22-gauge floral wire — for reinforcing the assembled spray
• White floral tape — cut to one-third width using a tape cutter
• Gum glue — water works but gum glue holds much better
• Small ball stamen (dull white, small head) — three per blossom
• Pliers (standard and long thin needle-nose) — for bending hooks and shaping the finished spray
• Palette knife — for scoring lines on the buds
• Small scissors — for trimming sepals on the buds
• Needle tool — for poking holes in cel formers
• Cel formers (small foam cups by Cel Cakes) — for drying open blossoms; poke a hole in the bottom for the wire
• Cornstarch — for dusting fingers to prevent sticking
• Petal dust — Chef Alan uses Global Sugar Art carnation for a soft pink
• Natural pearl dust — an ivory-toned luster for a soft finish (not super pearl)
• Gem veining tool — for adding petal texture to open blossoms
• Drying rack or foam block — for hanging or standing flowers to dry

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Step 1: Make the Buds (Five Graduated Sizes)

▶ Watch this section (0:54)

Each spray uses five buds, ranging from very small to large. Prepare all five pieces of gum paste before starting.

↪ Size the gum paste

1. Pinch off a small piece for the smallest bud and a slightly larger piece for the largest bud.
2. Divide three more pieces that graduate evenly between the two. Perfection is not required — natural flowers are never identical.
3. If making multiple sprays, divide all the paste at once and cover with plastic to prevent drying.

↪ Shape and wire each bud

1. Knead each piece of gum paste until smooth, forming one end into a rounded tip (the top of the bud).
2. Using a cel pin or similar tool, poke a small hole into the bottom of the bud (the seam side).
3. Dip the hooked end of a quarter-length wire into gum glue and insert it into the hole.
4. Pinch the paste around the wire to secure it.

↪ Score and trim

1. Using a palette knife, score six evenly spaced lines from the base to the rounded top — divide in half, then each half into thirds.
2. With small scissors, snip two small sepal-like points at the base of the bud.

Let all five buds dry before assembling the spray.

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Step 2: Cut and Shape the Blossoms

▶ Watch this section (5:40)

Each spray needs about five blossoms — three smaller (partially closed) and two larger (fully open).

1. Roll gum paste through a pasta machine to about #4 thickness (or #3–4 if your machine starts at zero).
2. Cut two blossom shapes with the PME freesia cutter.
3. Place both on the firm side of a cel pad.
4. Using a cel pin, elongate each petal by rolling outward from the center — this stretches the petals and gives them a more natural proportion.

1. Stack the two blossom shapes: brush a small amount of gum glue in the center of the first shape and press the second one on top, offsetting the petals slightly.

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Step 3: Wire the Closed Blossoms

▶ Watch this section (7:01)

↪ Prepare the stamen and wire

1. Take three small dull white stamen and fold them in half.
2. Hook the folded stamen through the bent hook at the end of a quarter-length wire.
3. Wrap a very small piece of one-third-width floral tape around the hook to hold the stamen in place — just enough to secure them without creating bulk.

↪ Add a gum paste sheath

This extra step makes assembly much easier:

1. Brush a thin coat of gum glue onto the taped section of the wire — just enough to make it tacky, not wet.
2. Push a tiny ball of gum paste up around the tape.
3. With cornstarch-dusted fingers, squeeze and roll the paste until it covers the tape completely.
4. Pinch off any excess.

↪ Attach the blossom

1. Dot a small amount of gum glue in the center of the stacked blossom.
2. Push the wire (stamen end first) through the center of the flower.
3. Pull partway through, flip over, and pinch the base of the petals around the gum paste sheath.

Hang the blossom upside down on a drying rack. Freesia petals are naturally a bit haphazard, so do not worry about making them perfectly symmetrical.

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Step 4: Make a Fully Open Blossom

▶ Watch this section (10:14)

For the lower portion of the spray, fully open blossoms add visual weight. The process is identical to Step 3, with two additions:

↪ Add petal veining

Before stacking the two blossom cutouts, use a gem veining tool on the firm side of the cel pad, dragging it side to side across each petal to create subtle texture.

↪ Dry in a cel former

Instead of hanging upside down:

1. Poke a hole in the bottom of a cel former (small foam cup) with a needle tool.
2. After attaching the blossom to the wire, set it into the former with the wire threaded through the hole.
3. Bend the wire underneath so the former can sit flat on the table.
4. Let it dry — the cup shape supports the petals in an open position.

Allow all blossoms to dry overnight for best results.

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Step 5: Color the Flowers and Buds

▶ Watch this section (12:51)

Once everything is fully dry, dust with color:

1. Using a soft brush, apply carnation petal dust (or any color — search "freesia" online for inspiration) to the petals and bud tips.
2. Optionally, brush a little green petal dust on the base of the buds for a natural touch.
3. Finish with a light coat of natural pearl dust over everything — the ivory tone softens the pink and adds a subtle sheen that looks beautiful on sugar flowers.

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Step 6: Assemble the Spray

▶ Watch this section (14:49)

Gather the five dried buds (smallest to largest), the blossoms (smallest to largest), a piece of 22-gauge wire for reinforcement, and one-third-width white floral tape.

↪ Tape the buds

1. Start with the smallest bud. Begin the tape at the base of the bud and wrap all the way up to the tip of the wire, then tape back down.
2. Add the second bud so its tip sits just where the first bud's base ends.
3. Continue taping downward, adding the third, fourth, and fifth buds — each one slightly larger and slightly lower than the one before.

↪ Add the blossoms

1. At this point, lay a 22-gauge wire alongside the taped stem for stability.
2. Add the three smaller blossoms first, each one stepping down a little from the last.
3. Add the two larger, fully open blossoms at the bottom.
4. Tape all the way down to the end of the 22-gauge wire.

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Step 7: Shape and Finish the Spray

▶ Watch this section (17:16)

With the 22-gauge wire providing structure, the spray can now be bent and shaped for any arrangement.

1. Using long, thin needle-nose pliers, reach in and bend individual wires to adjust the angle of each bud and blossom.
2. Curve the overall spray into a natural arc — think of it draping off the side of a cake or cascading through a larger arrangement.

The buds can be touched and repositioned by hand since they have no delicate petals.

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This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →