Imagine that you are a highly skilled needleworker who has been given a commission by ONE of the following:

1. The King/Queen of a country of your choice and time period of your choice. You are to create a book cover for his/her treasured religious text. Use any motif that would be appropriate and would show off your knowledge of couching and chiaroscuro.

2. A children’s publishing house such as Scholastic or Random House etc. would like for you to design a book cover for a hotly anticipated new release.  The motif should be a whimsical children’s item. Choose an appropriate motif that would show off your knowledge of couching and chiaroscuro.

3. House of Dior wants to add some punch to the cover of their 2021 Dress Catalogue. Design an appropriate motif showing off the shading you can do within folds of fabric. Choose a design motif appropriate for the task that you could stitch up using Or Nué.

4. Kew Gardens (or other world class botanical garden) would like an embroidered Or Nué piece for the cover of their new Allotment Handbook or a Plant Identification Guide. Choose an appropriate motif that would show off your knowledge of couching and chiaroscuro.

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See photos below for a bit of inspiration

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Everyone embarks on the design planning stage in a way that makes sense to them. Below are just a few examples of different ways that 3 needleworkers have chosen to organize and record their thinking and design planning. Organize your planning in a way that works for you.

Natalie Dupuis of Montreal:

Cynthia Jackson of Ottawa:

Lucy Barter of San Francisco from her RSN apprenticeship:

Marie Renée Otis from Quebec: