For the bargello quilt I designed, I used the paper from a bargello book, lines in progressingly darker colors. Then I drew the design I wanted on graph paper, and measured where the cutting lines would be. Then I cut up the colored strips of paper to see what the design would look like.
I also have EQ7. I just wasn't sure how to design my bargello in EQ7 (it was probably EQ6 when I designed it).