Way to get transparency in Powerpoint patterns

Found this tip on how to get transparency into PPT patterns: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-powerpoint/powerpoint-2010-transparent-fill/f5514dc7-6044-4b3a-8555-5e857cc67e42?msgId=8b421d2b-4a77-4a53-ab4c-224447294226