HELP! Icing always goes wrong!

[NanaNina]

I have tried various types of icing equipment, but none of it works the way it should. In the past I have bought those mental tubes with 2 rings to push the icing out but it just hurts my hands and the icing is all wiggly. I have bought "icing pens" but have the same trouble. I noticed in TGBB that they were all using piping bags, so I bought one of those, which performed a bit better but I didn't seem to have control of it...........don't want to do anything fancy (though have always wanted to be able to do "proper" icing on cakes, swirls, shells etc) but just want to pipe some white icing on my gingerbread hearts. Any tips for success!?

I love the disposable bags, less washing up! Don't put too much in as its hard to control.

I always used butter icing then realised i should have been piping with royal icing for a better finish. Are you using butter or royal icing? Maybe it's too thick/ thin to flow easily.

In the works I picked up a kit a few years ago. The nozzles and stuff are ok but the useful but is the letters and patterns you press onto the cake to then trace with the icing. Although the fonts a bit dated it was much better than my handwriting let alone my icing writing!

Hope somebody better than me comes along soon!

When you use a piping bag, twist the top of the bag so it's really tight, then use both hands to apply pressure (if that makes sense), one hand near the nozzle end and one hand towards to twisted end. Keep the twisted bit tight so that the flow of icing or buttercream is constant.
And everything Jennimoo said.

Thanks - I've only tried it with buttercream, not royal icing. I watched a girl piping patterns and words on to those big biscuit things in shopping malls and she was doing what you said MyCathasStaff - so do mine - they share their house with us!