KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The quickest way to freshen a piece of furniture and lift the spirits is through fabric.

I feel years younger -- and so does my dining room -- now that I've re-covered the seats of chairs I inherited from my great-grandfather. The shield-back style of the chairs is classic; the upholstery featuring a frumpy fruit pattern definitely was not.

So I found some hip fabric (a gray cotton with a modern graphic print), took an upholstery stapler et voila! A whole new look for the dining room in less than two hours for about $40.

"Shouldn't you take the chairs to a professional upholsterer?" a dubious friend asked before I started my DIY project. For a sofa or even a whole chair, yes. But for a few seat cushions, no. It's so easy and more affordable to do it yourself. (Check below for step-by-step instructions from Betsy Blodgett, owner of Bon Bon Atelier in Kansas City, Mo.)

Fabrics are a way to set the mood of the room. Want sophistication in the bathroom? Create a tall fabric shower curtain that hangs from a rod close to the ceiling. It makes the room feel larger, too.

"A tall shower curtain is an expensive designer look, and it's so easy to make," says Eddie Ross of New York, who was a contestant on Bravo's "Top Design" reality show. A book and his own television show are in the works. "You don't even have to sew."

Ross suggests taking an existing fabric shower curtain and finding a coordinating fabric for the bottom, fusing the fabrics together using Stitch Witchery, which works as an adhesive when it's ironed. Sure, the fabrics can be sewn together instead.

This year Blodgett, a fashion designer, made her own shower curtain from a pink Asian-style fabric with metallic gold threads she found on sale at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.

"It transformed the room, really setting the tone," says Blodgett, whose bathroom now has a boudoir look. "The vinyl shower curtain before was hideous, definitely not very inspiring."

Designers say fabric reflects personal style more than paint does. That's why Karen Roark, owner of Urban Arts and Crafts, likes the idea of fabric as wall decor. For a modern look, fabric can be wrapped around square wooden frames and stapled in back. The fabric frames can be hung in a horizontal series of three or four or a grid pattern of nine. Placed inside garage-sale frames, fabric takes on a more vintage, feminine style.

Fabrics also can give a nod to trends without breaking the bank. Besides modern graphics, current looks include ethnic-inspired ikat (pronounced e-cat) and suzani motifs, says Jan Jessup, spokeswoman for Calico Corners, which sells hundreds of decorative fabrics. Wood grain-pattern prints also are becoming popular.

Don't forget to shop your linen and clothes' closets for fabrics, Ross reminds us. A towel can make a plush terrycloth ottoman cover in a bathroom. A flat sheet can be turned into a duvet cover. A quilted matelasse bedspread can become a chair slipcover. Men's suit jackets, such as gray flannel or navy wool pinstripe, can be converted into handsome accent pillows.

Even classic summertime seersucker can look fresh. Check out the fun window display of seersucker-upholstered chairs at Brooks Brothers.

Modern prints are in style

"Dahlia" by Thomas Paul (above), $21 per yard, Calico Corners

"Love Tomatoes" by "Project Runway" Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll for Free Spirit Fabrics, $9.50 per yard, Bon Bon Atelier

"Fresh Start" by Amy Butler, $17.25 per yard, Urban Arts and Crafts

Room by Room: Other fresh fabric projects

DINING ROOM

Use outdoor fabrics to make tablecloths and banquette cushions. They are easy to bleach and clean.

FAMILY ROOM

Create a junior ottoman by stacking three 26-inch boxed pillows that can also be floor pillows for television viewing.

BEDROOM

Make a modern canopy by hanging bed drapery panels on swing-arm rods at each side of the bed.

BATHROOM

Cover a wastebasket with a decorative fabric using spray adhesive. Add gimp or braid trim with a glue gun to hide the edges.

CLOSET

Upholster the walls and ceiling of a tiny closet using Mod Podge as an adhesive.

FOR MORE IDEAS

Check out these books.

"Matthew Haly's Book of Upholstery" by Matthew Haly and Kathleen Hackett (Potter Craft, $35)

"Simple Sewing with a French Twist" by Celine Dupuy (Potter Craft, $27.50)

Sources: Jan Jessup, Calico Corners; Eddie Ross; Betsy Blodgett

FROM TRASH TO TREASURE

Betsy Blodgett, owner of Bon Bon Atelier, rescued this bench from the curb (and the landfill). She cleaned it with a wire brush, primed twice and painted it white.

Her advice before making a cushion: "Use the old-fashioned rule, measure twice, cut once."

Blodgett bought foam for $30 from Jo-Ann's Fabric and Craft Store for the cushion, putting vinyl on top so water won't seep in.

She used 4 yards of fabric for the cushion cover. One fabric is for the top and bottom, and the sides (called the boxing) is another. She sewed a simple flap instead of a zipper so the fabric is easy to put on and take off.

"Use oilcloth or outdoor fabric, or bring your cushions inside from the rain."

Reversible

One DIY fabric trend is making reversible accents. For example, throw pillows that are velvet on one side for fall and winter and linen on the other for spring and summer. Duvet covers and table runners can be reversible, too.

This reversible place mat by Karen Roark, owner of Urban Arts and Crafts, was made using instructions from "Amy Butler's In Stitches: More than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects" by Amy Butler (Chronicle Books, $25). Three fabrics were used: "Knot Garden," "Coreopsis" and "Full Bloom" from Amy Butler's August Fields collection.

Step by step: Reupholster dining seat cushions

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED

3 yards of fabric for four chairs

Tape measure

Upholstery stapler with heavy-duty staples (about $15 at fabric stores)

Scissors

Screwdriver

Betsy Blodgett, owner of Bon Bon Atelier and a fashion designer, knows the ins and outs of working with fabric. She showed us how easy it is to reupholster seat cushions. We kept the old upholstery on to preserve a decades-old history of the chair and gain a bonus: extra padding. From start to finish, it took less than two hours to cover all four seats.

Step 1. TURN OVER THE CHAIRS AND UNSCREW THE CUSHIONS.

Step 2. MEASURE 3 TO 4 INCHES EXTRA PER SIDE OF SEAT AND CUT THE FABRIC.

Step 3. WRAP THE FABRIC ON THE SEAT AND PADDING AS YOU WOULD A CHRISTMAS GIFT. PIN THE FABRIC IN PLACE TO ANCHOR IT.

Step 4. PULLING THE FABRIC AS TIGHT AS YOU CAN, STAPLE ALONG THE EDGES.

Step 5. SCREW CUSHIONS BACK IN PLACE.

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Resources

Bon Bon Atelier sells modern and vintage-inspired fabrics, 314 Westport Road, 816-756-0855, www.bonbonatelier.com.

Calico Corners carries traditional and modern decorative and upholstery fabrics , 6617 W. 119th St., Overland Park, 913-491-2995.

Eddie Ross blogs about design, including transforming thrift-store finds with fabric, www.eddieross.com.

Hancock Fabrics carries upholstery fabrics and high-quality sewing tools, www.hancockfabrics.com for store locations.

Hobby Lobby sells fabrics and sewing supplies, www.hobbylobby.com for stores.

HomeFabrics & Rugs sells upholstery fabrics and pillow forms, 11970 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, 913-338-4474, www.homefabricsonline.com.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores sell upholstery fabrics and pillow forms, www.joann.com for store locations.

Kansas City Upholstery sells a range of fabrics , 4646 Belleview Ave., 816-753-4003, www.kansascityupholstery.com.

Sarah's Fabrics carries a wide selection, 925 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, 785-842-6198, www.sarahsfabrics.com

Urban Arts and Crafts sells Amy Butler fabrics, 4157 N. Mulberry Drive, Briarcliff Village, 816-234-1004, www.urbanartsandcrafts.com

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