Inkscape: Trying to change the pattern fill but node tool only affects the path of the object being filled

Question

Very new to Inkscape. I have a shape that I traced, roughly heart shaped like a locket. I want to fill it with pink and black stripes, but the patterns only offered black and transparent stripes, so I duplicated the shape and filled the lower one with pink. Then I filled the higher with the stripe pattern. The stripes came up a little off center. I have to put a keyhole in the center of the heart, and the stripes will conflict with it. Also, if possible I'd like to make a pink and black pattern but that's less important.
The instructions say to use the Node tool to adjust the position, scale, and rotation of the fill pattern. This is the first time I'm attempting such a thing. The problem is that when I use the Node tool, the nodes of the heart shape are active and I can't affect the stripes at all. What am I doing wrong?

Billy Kerr · Accepted Answer

The control points to adjust the pattern will be somewhere on your page, most likely in the top left hand corner of the page. It might be hard to see them. Perhaps try temporarily hiding the raster layer you are tracing over. You can do that in the Object > Objects panel, by clicking the eye icon to toggle visibility.
Here's an example showing the location of the controls points, and how they can be adjusted.

To fill the background of the shape, one possible method is to duplicate it using Ctrl+D, set the fill to the colour you want, and hit the "Lower Selection one step" button on the Controls bar along the top or hit PageDown. Obviously this will make two independent shapes, but you can group them if you want.

Inkscape: Trying to change the pattern fill but node tool only affects the path of the object being filled

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