I am trying to get a pattern such as a checkerboard into a path where the squares of the checkerboard will warp with the shape of the waving flag. i am fairly new to this and have the inkscape guide also. ive tried applying patter to path , but i never see the pattern there and when i do the path bends, but not the pattern inside.

The best way would be to draw it exactly as you want it to appear. If the flag folds over on itself, you'll draw each fold as a separate object layered over-top of each other. If that doesn't make sense I can create an example.

If you want to cheat, you can try Envelope Deformation. Just be warned if you try and create folds using this method, the result may not be what you expect.