Improver · about 12 minutes · 8 strokes
Rosettes practice sheet (tip 1M, free PDF)
Quick answer
The rosettes sheet is free to download and print. It is an improver sheet for open star tip 1M with 8 strokes of rosette and takes about 12 minutes: print the A4 or US Letter PDF at 100%, pipe over the grey shapes in the numbered order, then photograph it for a score out of 100.
Swirled rosettes with a big open star tip. Spiral out from the middle, then close the circle.
You need a piping bag with tip 1M (open star).
Free for personal practice. Print at 100% scale ("actual size").
What the rosettes sheet trains
A rosette is one continuous swirl, piped with the large open star tip 1M. The sheet holds eight of them, all the same size, so you can compare your first rosette with your last and see the change on one page.
Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle and finish by closing the outer ring. Keep the squeeze steady all the way round and stop squeezing before you lift, then flick away along the swirl. The grey circle is the outer edge: let the icing just reach it all the way round.
- On the sheet
- 8 strokes of rosette, 8 single squeezes
- Bead size
- 9 mm wide
- Speed
- 35 mm a second
- Bag angle
- straight up (90°)
- Squeeze rhythm
- steady
- Separate starts
- 8: every line, unit or letter stroke begins with a fresh squeeze
Stroke by stroke
Bead is how wide the icing should be (or how big each unit is); speed is how fast to move along the line.
| # | What you pipe | Bead | Speed | Bag angle | Squeeze rhythm | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring. |
| 2 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring. |
| 3 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring. |
| 4 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Keep the squeeze steady all the way round and stop before you lift. |
| 5 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring. |
| 6 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring. |
| 7 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Two more: aim for the same size and a closed outer ring. |
| 8 | a rosette 28 mm across | 9 mm | 35 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | steady | Last rosette. Stop squeezing, then flick away to finish. |
Print the PDF at 100% and check the bar at the bottom measures 10 cm, fit tip 1M, pipe strokes 1 to 8 in order, then photograph the sheet from straight above with all four corner squares in view. Printing and photo tips.
Watch the ghost nozzle
Press play and pipe along with the green ghost: it moves at each stroke's target speed.
Stroke 1 of 8
Start in the middle, spiral out in a circle, and finish by closing the outer ring.
Mistakes to watch for on this sheet
A hole in the middle means the first turn was too wide; an end sticking out means the ring was not closed. The scorer checks both, and whether the swirl is centred on its circle.
- Rosette open or off-centre
Most likely on strokes 1 to 8 (rosette). Start in the middle, make one full turn around it, and release right over your starting point.
- Thin then thick
Most likely on strokes 1 to 8 (rosette). Keep the same squeeze and the same speed from start to finish, following the pacer.
- Wobbly line
Most likely on strokes 1 to 8 (rosette). Lift the tip about 1 cm and let the icing fall onto the line while you move a little slower.
The rosettes sheet in the 30-day challenge
The 30-day piping challenge uses this sheet on days 10, 14 and 26. It comes after block letters and before reverse shells.
- Day 10 · New sheetStart in the middle, spiral out, close the outer ring. Keep the squeeze steady and stop before you lift.
- Day 14 · CheckpointWeek 2 checkpoint. Compare with day 10: are the rosettes closed and the same size?
- Day 26 · RepeatThird rosette sheet. Release right over your starting point.