Musical chairs: it's simple to change your tune at the table to suit the season or a special occasion.

Play different tunes at the dinner table by dressing chairs with simple ready-made cloth napkins and placemats. Change the look for any season or occasion, or coordinate your table style with just a few stitches, buttons, staples, ribbons, or safety pins. The backs and seats of dining chairs will play many different tunes with the smallest amount of effort and time.

Napkins and placemats come in such a variety of sizes that it is easy to find some that fit almost any chair by making only minor adjustments with a few tucks, pleats, or gathers. To cover a chair back, simply make one row of stitching to attach two napkins or two placemats together. Add a few ribbons or buttons to keep the sides in place. You will need one yard of ribbon for each closure; cut into two 18-inch pieces. Be sure to apply Fray Check liquid seam sealant to the ends to keep ribbons from fraying.

Large monograms or letters add a designer touch and are especially nice on the inside or outside of chair backs. There are even peel-and-stick letters available at craft stores that can be attached by pressing into place with an iron. Transfer-paper letters can be printed in any color from your computer and ironed on, following directions on the package. (projects continued on page 40)

Large napkins will generously wrap around most chair seats. Staple underneath if the seat is removable, or tuck at the front corners with two hidden safety pins or stitches, Velcro, or iron-on Stitch Witch, and tie to the two outside back rungs with ribbon ties. Even the napkins you will use at the dinner table can be part of the decorations; secure them to the outside back cover by two horizontal buttonholes through which a ribbon has been passed. To attach a posy holder with fresh flowers, secure with a ribbon that you have run through two vertical buttonholes on the outside back.

Play musical chairs any time the mood strikes. The possibilities are endless and easy, not to mention lots of fun. Monogramming by Monogram Maniac, Brandon.