[Inkscape-user] Patterns. How?

Hello list!

I write to you out of sheer ignorance. I generated a pattern with some paths and I'd like to use it as a sort of "texture" and apply it to another path... Is there an automated way of doing this, or should I group/join the paths and repeat them over the path I want to cover "ad nauseam"? I do believe there was a function in 0.46 (or was it since 0.45?) that helped doing that (or so I believe), but I don't seem to find said function. Thanks in advance for any tips!