Make some stripes (because linear gradients just don't work)

make_svg_stripes.php

<?php
// make an svg given an initial stripe color, initial stripe height, other stripe height, and total overall height
$osh = $_GET['oh'];  // stripe height
$h =   $_GET['h'];   // overall height
$isc = (isset($_GET['c']))? $_GET['c']:"";  // optional initial stripe
$ish = (isset($_GET['ch']))? $_GET['ch']:0; // height of initial stripe
$offset = (isset($_GET['offset']))? $_GET['offset']:0; // "offset" (actually just the height of the first stripe)

$altcolors = array("#ededeb", "#e4e4e3");

// you'll need to repeat me horizontally
$w = 5;

// initialize the svg
$svg = '<svg width="'.$w.'" height="'.$h.'" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">'.
	' <g><title>stripe bg</title>';

// track the number of stripes and the total height
$c = 0;
$th = 0;

if ($offset) {
	$svg .= '  <rect id="svg_'.$c.'" height="'.$offset.'" width="'.$w.'" y="'.$th.'" x="0" fill="'.$altcolors[0].'" />';
	$th += $offset;
}

// the colored stripe
if ($ish > 0) {
	$c += 1;
	$svg .= '  <rect id="svg_'.$c.'" height="'.$ish.'" width="'.$w.'" y="'.$th.'" x="0" fill="#'.$isc.'" />';
	$th += $ish;
}

while ($th < $h) {
	$c += 1;
	$fill = $altcolors[($c % count($altcolors))];
	$svg .= '  <rect id="svg_'.$c.'" height="'.$osh.'" width="'.$w.'" y="'.$th.'" x="0" fill="'.$fill.'" />';
	$th += $osh;
}

// close out the svg
$svg .= '</g></svg>';

header("Content-type: image/svg+xml");
echo $svg;