Upholstery and Fabrics - Painting upholstery?

I just bought a very tufted stool, covered in a raw silk. I'd like to change the color but w/out removing the fabric from the pad - w/all 28 tufting buttons! I found a spray fabric paint in the craft store and wonder if this might do serious harm? I understand that even if it's safe for the silk, I'll probably have trouble getting an even color. Want to go from cream to green or burgundy. I've also considered dying the whole cushion in the bathtub.

Any thoughts on this? I keep picturing a particular Trading Spaces episode w/ fuschia spray painted couches :p

Thks,

V.

Haven't tried this stuff (I try not to compete with myself) but I think I'd try to find a similar fabric in a discount place and practice first. You would probably want to make a few folds in it to imitate the tufting, just to work on your technique. After letting it dry a few days, you might scrub it a bit with a clean nylon pad, just to see how durable it's going to be. Also, I'd get two cans, just to make sure I didn't run out.
Dyeing it in the tub is probably not a good idea. Once the padding gets saturated, it's pretty hard to get it to dry out thoroughly.

If you know that the fabric is really silk or another Natural fiber (cotton, rayon, silk) you can use powdered fabric dye. Dissolve the fabric dye in rubbing alcohol (use a glass jar), strain the dye into another jar using a cut off piece of pantyhose as the strainer. Toss out the pantyhose and all of the extra stuff that it catches. Use the strained dye to paint on the color using a foam brush or a paint brush. The only concerns with getting the color even will be if the fabric is soiled or stained. The alcohol makes the dye dry quickly.
I have used this to dye pointe shoes to match ballet costumes.

Using a sprayed on paint may change the texture of the fabric making it stiff. The dye and alcohol mixture will not affect the texture of the fabric.
The suggestion of trying out a sample of a similar fabric is always a good idea.