Interesting suggestions and some that I have been working on. To be truthful, traditional things like the ball and claw etc. are not my favorites. I have done them and found them to be tedious mainly because there is a standard that is hard to deviate from or folks think your work is crap no matter the craftsmanship....personal experience on more than one occasion.
I have been considering a design class. My idea was to teach some basic drawing methods that apply to dimensional work like carving. Also the method to determine how to map a carving from what is concave or convex, to how to determine sequence of carving and how to address light and shadow to the best effect. I have found that taking a photograph and seeing it as a carving is daunting for most. I would like more feedback from folks on this topic as far as what they would like to know or have problems with.
Jane, I have also been working on a class that centers on your and Amishwarlord's suggestion. I am working on a method to teach and carve running borders etc. by taking one design and using it in multiple ways. A lot of frames and borders use one design and by using a mirror image, running multiples or placing it in a group create new designs. Simple things are often the hardest to do and to translate.
Thanks for the suggestions and don't be shy if you have more ideas. I will keep folks posted as things progress.
Mark