I already went into great detail on this before and the topic did not post
so here is a less detailed post...

I have a scalable vector image which is just an outline of a blank tee shirt.
I want to fill this tee with color...various colors from time to time.
I know there should be an easy way to do this but I can't find it in inkscape.
with corel draw demo I could just drop the color into the blank space inside the shirt outline to fill it
or I could drop a color onto the outline itself to change the outline color.
in inkscape it seems all I have been able to find is the fill tool up top and when I click on a color it just changes the outline color.
I want to keep my black outline and fill the inside space with color.
can you PLEASE help?

I am about to be bald from pulling my hair out over this
seems like it should be easy, basic thing in any graphics program...
so please tel me...where is it and what am I missing?

It seems quiet simple - select object and click color on the palette. Shift+Click changes color fo outline. Or press Ctrl+Shift+F (like "fill"). It opens a dialog. First tab - inner space color. Second one - outline color. Independent. Third tab - outline style.
To fill object you can also select it and drop color into the container in bottom left corner of Inkscape window. Just play around.

In new Windows builds you can edit gradient direct on canvas - I like it, it's realy great

This is the same fill tool that I have tried using.
the fill and stroke box that comes up is the one that seems obvious for me too but it isn't working that way for me.
the first tab says "Fill" but when I use it and pick a color it recolors my outline of the shirt.
if I use the next tab for stroke it makes an outline around the outer edges of my outline.
I need my outline to stay black and fill in the empty space like a bucket tool does in some programs.
is there no way to fill in space?

dixie wrote:[...]the first tab says "Fill" but when I use it and pick a color it recolors my outline of the shirt.
if I use the next tab for stroke it makes an outline around the outer edges of my outline.[...]

From this, what you say, it is because, what you call "outline" is an object and you changing its fill and outline.
You need to, make an object larger than shirt shape (best is square),
send it to the back, select both shirt and larger one and press [Ctrl]+[-] or path->difference.
Then select what is left press [shift]+[Ctrl]+K, you should end up with two shapes 1-the shirt 2 shape with whole in shape of shirt.

Another way to do this is to go to Path > Break apart. Then delete one or the other object.
Or manually delete one stroke with the node tool .