Striped fabric patches add real zest to quilts, and all it takes is a little planning and careful cutting. Make templates from see-through plastic and mark the seam lines with a fine-line permanent marker.

Place a template on the fabric, aligning the center line with the middle of one of the motifs. To explore the design possibilities of your fabric, move the template around. Choose one motif and mark the template with some of the lines in the motif. Match the markings on the template with identical motifs, trace all patches needed, then cut them out.