I think you are talking about fussy cutting, which can be anything from centering a motif in a square to actually cutting a single flower out of a floral print and applique-ing it on a quilt. If you are cutting a geometric shape, like a square, triangle etc. most quilting rulers are see thru so you can selectively cut your fabric. Any pattern with an larger unpieced square should work.
But for some reason I think you may be talking about a 4 patch posey? Here's a sample pic from this board.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-48990-1.htm
If thisis what you had in mind, you can do a search now that you have the name.