Im a big fan of using stencils when it comes to artwork. A stencil is composed of two parts, the island and the bridges. Islands are sections of the material that are inside cut-out holes while bridges are narrow sections that are not cut out. There are many different ways to create  and use stencil designs...you can find out here : http://naldzgraphics.net/design-2/how-to-create-stencil-designs/