Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sunday Sweets: Threadcakes

Sunday, July 26, 2009

As you may recall, I get to be one of the judges in this year's Threadcakes competition. However, I'd just like to point out that I had no idea judging would be this hard. Seriously, there are so many surprisingly skillful entries already - and there's still another week to go! - that I don't see how we're going to narrow it down to just a few winners.

But enough of my whining. Here, let me show you what I'm talking about.

(The photos are arranged Threadless design first, followed by the Threadcakes entry.)


By Burton Wills
(Follow the links for more info & pics)


By Nicole Jeans


By Judy Stroud



By Kayla Richardson


There are also plenty of mad skilz in the 2D category:


By Jamie Masterson

Are you starting to see my dilemma? I've just barely scratched the surface, too - I may have to feature more of these next Sunday, since there are so many more I want to share. So tune in then - or, just head over to Threadcakes now and check out all 300+ entries!


- Similar Sweets: Like Buttah


Anonymous said...

Aww, Threadless is one of my favorite sites! And now I can wear my favorite shirt and eat it too! THose entries are tough for sure, I do not envy your decision.

Anonymous said...

The ship cake is stellar- no contest.

Finn said...

They were all SO amazing! But I really loved the robot one. It was so cute! ^_^

StylishHeather said...

Those are crazy! I'd never be able to pick just one winner!

Guck Luck to all of them :)

Fluffy Cow said...

Wow- this IS going to be tough... can you close your eyes and point??

Billie said...

Oh my gosh, the robot and tomato ones are just heartbreakingly cute.

the ginabean said...

fantastic!

the ginabean said...

PS I like the tomato one best. A.ma.zing! (Although the ship is a close second!)

Mel said...

I envy you not, but those are way cool.

Str4yk1tt3n said...

Yeah -- when you posted the link a couple weeks ago I went to the site and was absolutely AMAZED at the awesomeness of a surprisingly large percentage of the cakes. There were, of course, a few that left me underwhelmed, but the overall showing was nothing but pure awesome.

Jennifer said...

My jaw literally dropped at these! I mean, it sometimes drops at an occasional cake (good or bad), but never like this, at each cake in an entire post!! Wow!! Good luck judging - I'm glad it's you and not me!!

Crystal Copeland said...

Wow, I think these are some of the best cakes I've seen you post yet. Probably because you can see the art, and then that they look EXACTLY like it. Awesome.

Glory von Hathor said...

Sad robot and swirly lionheads are my faves, but I think they are all amazing.

Anonymous said...

Loved these! The tomato one is terrific--the shirt design is cute too! Best of luck to you on the decisions...

dpotsy said...

Wow! I love them all! I thought for sure the robot was the best, but then looked at the next, and the next... I don't envy you having to judge those! They are all phenomenal!

Anonymous said...

OMG they're all good but that robot is AMAZING.

Laura K. Curtis said...

Wow, those are seriously amazing cakes. But I love the robot one...the melancholy look is captured so beautifully.

Michelle S. said...

Wow, wow, wow! The chocolate lacework on the lion cake manes! Absolutely amazing!

miss. chief said...

oh. my. gosh. those were all beautiful! i really did love the robot one though.

Braley Mama said...

now that is Art! love love the detail in the ship and waves, beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Wow these cakes are so awesome! True talent. I don't evny you. I did go and look at all the other cakes on the threadless site and some of those cakes need to be on your site as wrecks! LOL But some are just incredible.

The Courteous Chihuahua said...

So, so glad I did not attempt what would have undoubtedly been a pathetic entry in this contest. Those are all AmAzInG!

VisibleSoulPhotography said...

Some of the ones are 'wrecks'! But some of the others are just incredible!

Did you check out the "under the bed"? Holy cow!

Aims said...

oh the sad robot is just so sweet, but I really love the tomato cake, too. I don't envy you!

Kit said...

*jaw drop*

I think the composition of the ketchup bottle and tomatoes is the most interesting of those, even though I can't get over how amazing they all are. I just really like how even the background is translated into another dimension, not just the design in relief or fully sculpted on a flat plane (though both are great and cakes are allowing them a fun artistic revival). It's talented and different, is what I like.

Anonymous said...

Holy moly, these cakes are really good! The angry ketchup bottle with the ketchup coming out of the top is amazing, as is the banana, and...well ALL of them! Glad I can just enjoy looking at them and not have to vote.

Sophie-and-Bryce said...

I'm in *tears* guys!!!! TEARS!

I'm the gal who did the robot cake, and after seeing all of the beautiful entries week after week, I really felt like my sweet, sad, little guy didn't stand a chance at all. Win or no win, coming on here today and reading how many of you said you liked the cake, well, enough said. I'm a winner.

Point blank, this contest is an amazing idea. It tosses together a bunch of folks who can produce some amazing art on cotton and a bunch of folks who can get creative with SWEET, edible stuff. And, dude. I seriously think if you cut me open, I'd bleed buttercream.

MUCH LOVE to Cake Wrecks for showing off the lil' robot. Poor thing just couldn't catch a break, and now he's all (shall I say it?) POPULAR on the coolest blog EVER*!!!!

xoxo
Nic


* Please note that there was absolutely NO butt-kissing in this statement.

workfeeds said...

You picked some nice ones, but there are a surprising number of wrecktastic ones on the threadcakes gallery page-at least that will help with some of the elimination!

Eva said...

Love love love that little robot.

Diana Dang said...

Amazing cakes! o-o

Mandy said...

I LOVE the robot cake. Best one, hands down.

Runner up would be the lions.

Anonymous said...

All of those are amazing! The perfect duplication of the banana, sheer talent of the ship, the gravity-defying way the little robot was upright, the awesomely afraid tomatoes and the (chocolate?) work on the lions. Wow!

wv: dingi
These entries make my head go all dingi!

WhoTheHellisMoop said...

The robot cake is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

The ship is amazing!

Good luck judging. I would not want to be in your shoes.

jackie31337 said...

Wow, I see what you mean. These are all fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love that tomato cake! And the 2D lions are great. I wish you Guck Luck in your judging duties. =)

Michelle

Krista said...

I think the tomato cake is the best interpretation into a 3-D form, how they turned the rolling of the hills into topsy-turvy tiers.

But I think the most beautiful out of these is the ship cake, it's just stunning!

Elizabeth C. said...

I loved the tag on the banana one... It's the shirt, folded...and 3d... awesome..

the robot is ADORABLE and check out the nuts and bolts and hearts at the base to add some interesting detail...

the lacework on the lions is lovely...

I still think my favorite is the ketchup one though..

Jules said...

Holy fow. I don't envy you or the other judges (much!). Those are fantastic, although I think the ketchup and robot ones are my faves.

Melinda said...

I only looked through a few pages of the cakes, but from what I have seen, you definitely have the best ones up here on your blog. I may need to look again though after reading the comments from folks who delved a little further into it. Can't wait for the next Sunday Sweets to see more!

Kae said...

I really like the ketchup and robot cakes...the little nuts and bolts on the latter were what tipped it into greatness for me.

Anonymous said...

Well, of the examples shown, it is easy to pick a winner. A couple are just plain ugly. A couple are just plain 'meh'. And its easy to decide from there.

Marie said...

I love that tomato one. It helps that it's an amazingly cute shirt though too.

Spygel said...

I...want to hug that robot.

Julie said...

I've looked at the rules and can't find any mention of categories, so I'm asking here. If there are not professional and amateur categories, could you suggest them for next year? There's amazing talent there, but I suspect a pro and non division would level the playing field quite a bit.

Thanks for drawing my attention to this contest. You're right, the talent is amazing.

Annie said...

oh wow those look amazing! they are all so brilliant in their own way. Very fond of the angry ketchup bottle one myself but then again I just love anything with the crazy cake pans

Ulrike said...

Those are all too fantastic to pick just one. I think it's time to move on to the taste testing. ;-)

G.H. said...

Tomato then robot.
I love all of them though. So adorable.

http://confessions-of-a-waitress.blogspot.com/

S3XinthePantry said...

Oh, they are all so great. U do not have an easy job!

Anonymous said...

Sophie-and-Bryce (if you return to read more comments):

Fantastic job on the robot! It's too adorable. I was curious if the robot was made out of cake? And if so, how on earth did he remain standing on those little legs and little neck? You may have produced not just an incredibly adorable cake, but an engineering marvel as well. :)

PumaMan said...

i looove the robot one

Renee said...

Wow those are great! I like the robot one, too!

LaurAZ said...

The robot one is killer! Love it.

Anonymous said...

After spending all week doing nothing but pouring over threadless designs and other entries to get my final design set before doing my entry this week, I was looking forward to Sunday Sweets--something pretty that's not a threadcake, yay! Ha, ha, ha. I concede that there is no escape, now. ;D

Love to see these great entries getting recognition. So far my favourite 3-D submission is http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/73, though the sad robot one is way up there too.

Suzie Q said...

There's always "eenie-meenie-miney-mo".... Seriously--I can see where you would be having a nervous breakdown as a judge there...

Reformed Supermom said...

Wow, those are all fabulous. I'd have to say the tomatoes made me LOL though..

Kaytee said...

I have to say I LOVE the second one down. With the robot heart. Totally adorable.

christa said...

Did anyone else notice that the last one (the 2D lions) could possibly be a CCC?

christa said...

Did anyone else notice that the last one (the 2D Lions) looked like it was several cupcakes? I wouldn't consider it the dreadful CCC because they weren't put together to make a shape...but I wouldn't consider them cakes for this competition, either.

If I had to pick a winner it'd be the banana!

ksaldria said...

Wow, I love all of them. But I think I'm stuck between the robot and the ketchup monster. So cute! :D

heavenlyginger said...

My five year old entered a cake - I helped with some of it but he did it. It's such a simple cake but we had so much fun doing it! I guess that's the point of the competition! (but if anyone wants to give him a prize, that's cool too :)

I had so many ideas, but then, so did so many others that his entry is the only one from our household. I had nothing new to add to the competition that would compare at all to what was already done (and I have several wedding cake testers to make for next weekend so I'm full of cake this week!). I can't wait to see who wins!

Stephanie said...

I can see why you're having a hard time picking a winner here; these are really good! The ketchup/tomato one cracked me up though. And the robot is really cute. :D

Twiggles and Trunks said...

whoa dude. uhhhhh good luck judging that. i'd feign sickness, polio or barrstein syndrome.

Anonymous said...

You have a tough job ahead of you, Jen. These are ALL brilliant examples, by some talented cake artists, of translating the shirt designs into food.

I have to admit that I'm finding it difficult to separate my preference for the various cakes from my preference for the different t-shirt designs. I'm not sure if I like one cake more than another because I admire the skill and execution of the cake or because I like the shirt.

I looked at the Threadcakes site and there are some really great cakes based on designs I don't like as much. Could I be objective? Doesn't matter because I don't have to be.

Best wishes in your difficult task.

Bill

BellaMoccia said...

I think some of the comments here are a bit unfair...and wonder if some of the people making them know that this was not a contest solely for professionals. I have entered 3 cakes so far in the contest..and while I know there isn't a slight chance of my winning, since professionals were allowed to compete, I still remain extremely proud of my "wrecks". My family and friends didn't think they were so bad either. I had fun making them, was proud of my amateur skills, and think anyone who entered deserves at least a bit of respect. It takes a lot to put your name to something. I think all of the entries on Threadcakes were amazing...and the amateur ones especially. It takes no effort for some professionals to knock off a masterpiece and win the prize, but the moms, kids, and groups of friends who had a great time, made a little piece of art in its own right and enjoyed some great tasting cake deserve some props too.

Linette Moccia

Stephanie McGee said...

These cakes are amazing! I can't imagine how you're ever going to choose!


BTW, there's a nice little gift for you, Jen, on my blog.

Novice Writer Anonymous

Erin said...

Wow they are incredible.

The banana one is so accurate, and I love that it's on the shirt with tag showing and all.

I have no idea how they got that robot head to stay on. It's incredible. And adorable. Probably my favourite of the shirts, and so well replicated.

I love the wonky tomato cake - the shadow on the cake is great.

The ship is incredible. So well done. The swirls, the rope, amazing.

And the lions are amazing. How on earth did they get the chocolate lacework to match the original design so closely. Wow.

Scritzy said...

The robot made me cry. I just want to hug the little guy and tell him everything will be okay.

I ADORE the tomato cake, because it reminds me of that very bad movie, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

So much awesomeness!

Unknown said...

OMW(Oh My Word for those who aren't from the south)1. I LOVE that robot heart cake... its just sooooo adorable!!!!!
2. i spent a week going from the first post to the last... and i spent a week with my sides hurting and my eyes wet lol.
3. ok yea one and two cover it :P this is just cause you always need a 3 :P

archersangel said...

WOW! those are some great cakes!

Angela Kershner said...

OMG, the second one! i LOVE the second one! So cute. So sad. So well done!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the ship cake!! They were all fantastic, though. I don't envy you having to choose!

-Julie

Giusi. said...

omg! i'm in LOVE WITH the robot one!!! i LOVE IT <333
I WANT IT <333

Chantelle said...

An example of a GOOD cupcake cake!
http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/356

wavecloud said...

All so great! I think the ship one is my favorite, though--look at the detailing on the waves!

LittleLovables said...

They are all amazing, wow! I totally love the robot one though, so cute!

emily said...

The robot one is amazing, and I'm glad to see she appreciates the love.

They're all quite awesome, as is Threadless and this whole idea. :) Good luck judging, Jen!

Debbie Culpepper said...

I checked out the website. I DON'T envy you your job of picking the best one. A LOT of them were cake-tastic.

Anonymous said...

Burton Wills is my new cake idol. He has to win, if not for the banana, then for the sneaker.

Unknown said...

I would like to nominate this one:

http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/260

She even has a video showing how she made it. A-MAZ-ING!

Procrastinateher said...

Wow, I don't envy your job at all - so many of those entries are amazing!

If they need someone to judge which one tastes the best, let me know ;)

Nightingale said...

the ibes ib he site are jsut as amazing... esp the bird migration one. DANG. THAT's some airbrush skillz

LoraLee said...

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Anna said...

I viewed all of them, following your link. Still, my personal favourite is one you featured here: the cute, sad robot on the yellow cake. It does not get sweeter than that! If cakes could be adopted, this would be the one I'd want.

Charity Charity Ichiban! said...

I haven't even posted my entry yet, I'm making something like a million little fondant characters and it's taking longer than anticipated. But next Monday is the deadline, so I'll make it!

thecakeversionsofthings.blogspot.com

chicken lips said...

I looked at some of the cakes in the gallery. I also really like the one titled "Conservation Status". Good luck judging. Do you get to taste test too?!

blueiguana said...

The robot is sweet and well-done, but I think that the most amazing one and the best from 2D to 3D is the tomato one. I love how there is even a shadow of the ketchup bottle. I love the topsy-turvy layers. too.

Evalis said...

The banana.. meh. It's nice, but i don't feel anything from it.

I will join in the wholehearted mini robot love.

The ketchup and tomato one is decent but I have one beef with it. In no way is the cake-version mallet big enough, either in comparison to the original or to do what its intended for.

Ship is pure awesomeness in execution. A little too stylized for my tastes though.

The lions... i need to know what the brown material is before judging. If it's edible, the piece is masterful. Side note: A few of those lions look alot happier to be on a cupcake than in a picture. ^^

Unknown said...

Hi. I made the tomato cake and I wanted to thank you SO much for the awesome comments :) I am in complete SHOCK that I'm on Sunday Sweets!!! I was so intimidated to post my cake to the contest after seeing some really amazing entries. I love making cakes but right now it's a hobby - I've only made a few for family and friends but I'd love to maybe turn it into a career someday. Seeing your nice thoughts is giving me the confidence that it might be possible - THANKS AGAIN!!!

The Angry Jackalope said...

So, when can we buy the shirts? My son LOVES the robot one. They're all amazing and I'm sure glad I don't have to pick!

Brenda Z. said...

No disrespect to the creator of the robot cake (it is a spot-on recreation of the t-shirt design)or any of the other decorators feaured in Sunday's post, however, I suspect the voting on the cakes(with a few exceptions) would be exactly the same if the photos of the cakes were removed and only the t-shirt designs were shown.

I know my favorite cake just happens to match my favorite of the accompanying shirt designs. I agree with the guy who said objectivity is going to be tough for the judges.

Amazing work by all the cake decorators, especially the daring, less experienced decorators.

Cedar said...

Some questions about the judging (I can't find the answers on the website): how many categories all there, and what is the judging based on? There are some cakes that are just amazingly made cakes, and some that are very clever interpretations of the design (although done very simply). Is there a fondant and non-fondant category--some of those buttercream ones are might impressive!

OM said...

The threadless models are a little too cool for school, but the designs (and the cakes) are amazing.

Anonymous said...

Don't hate me for this, but I do see a couple of absolute wrecks. I admire their talent and all, but some things look way out of place.

Great job!

kathy said...

my personal fave is the banana cake. it is super cute but I also really wanted to eat it. lol.

Taeraresh said...

I think the tomato cake is my favorite. The extreme silliness of the situation, plus the expressions on the tomatoes makes me laugh every time I look at it.
All of them are fantastic, though.

Candice said...

I've been looking through the gallery, some of these are phenom. I love the ketchup-tomato one, so cute!

Brittney Mattison said...

:O That robot cake with the heart is ADORABLE!!! I love it so much!

Thank you for posting these beautiful cakes ^.^ And for making me laugh every day with the wrecky ones :)

Candice again said...

The robot one is well executed but a little too emo for my tastes. I found one I'm absolutely in love with, the Fail cake with the cows on the moon. I don't know if I'm allowed to post the link, but if anyone has some time to kill as I do they should go hunt it down. It is too kuh-yewt!

Kat said...

The robot -- loved it, loved it, loved it! The little design of bolts, screws, & hearts at the bottom makes it for me. : )

:::b r a n d i::: said...

Wow wow wow. I would have a hard time with that one too. The tomato cake cracks me up...but that robot is adorable!!

Furry Bottoms said...

The ship, HANDS DOWN! That ship cake is like unbelievable. LOVE IT! The intricate details. WOW!!

Anonymous said...

These are awesome! I love Sunday Sweets! Thanks Jen!

Anonymous said...

Whoop, I'm going to post my threadcakes entry tomorrow and can I just say that if my cake ended up featured as a wreck it would break my heart? Cake wrecks is supposed to feature wrecky PROFESSIONAL cakes, and I am definitely no professional! I just had a great time makin' a cake for my friend's birthday and also posted some pictures of it on a website for a contest. Don't hate :(

Having said that, I can't pick a favourite of the cakes that were posted. They are all AMAZING!

Unknown said...

Oh my god, the robot cake is the cutest cake in the history of cakes! *flails*

Abbe_M said...

I had never seen Threadless before; went and checked it out after seeing this post. They have great shirts, and those cake designs are amazing! So thank you for showing us some beautiful cakes, and for introducing me to a new great shirt site!

Alex said...

These pics are great, although I think the ketchup and robot ones are among my favorites.

Emily said...

oh dang.

Can you pull a preschool philosophy out of your pocket? "We're all winners. Let's have cake to celebrate."

I love the understated melancholy of that adorable heart broken robot.

Anonymous said...

I checked these out a few weeks ago and thought of you and was hoping that you got to vote for several winners (i.e. most creative, most proficient, most accurate)...if not...good luck it will be super hard!!

I loved the cupcake cake with the animals in alpha order and ordered the shirt--tell Threadless your Marketing is working;-)

Coletta

:) said...

THAT IS SO. COOL.

Steph (desserts for breakfast) said...

i love the yellow robot + <3 one! it's so cute!

nicole said...

yeah, Threadless designs brought to life in cake! The cute little robot gets my vote :)

Coco Cake Land said...

all just so, so amazing!!! love the last one with the lions-- and the banana one!! unbelieavably awesome!!

Unknown said...

Love the Robot cake! I would pick it if I were a judge. It's clean, simple, and it makes me want to hug him.

The ship cake is really beautiful, I love the colors and it was neat to read about how she made the cake.

Tomato cake was great fun and so well done!

Sr. Mina, BSP said...

No way! Is that an "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" cake? Is it!? *surprised, smiles*

Anonymous said...

awww, mine didn't get in on it. My first cake was a threadless cake:
http://www.threadless.com/teeriffic/174936.jpg

Kaylee said...

Pick the robot pick the robot pick the robot

Kristen Phillips said...

My Dandy Lion design is a cake too! Awesome! you've done an amazing job.

Michelle Luevane, CPA said...

I absolutely adore the little sad robot cake. I'm thinking about actually attempting to make it myself...be prepared for a picture of a cake wreck cause I'm sure that's what it will end up as, haha.

Cupcakes Lady said...

They're all good but that robot is especially cool. Amazing actually. Great work. xx