I bought a new chandelier with 12 silk shades. The only problem is that the shades are stark white. Is there a way to “dye” them to a golden beige? Linda

Dear Linda,
You could experiment with this if you are willing to be unattached to the outcome. First, determine if the shades are actually 100% silk or if they are synthetic made to look like silk. If they are not real silk, they cannot be dyed.
If you have real silk there, get a catalog from www.dharmatrading.com and read about fabric dyeing. If this were my project, I would get a medium sized bucket, and in this bucket mix warm water, soda ash, salt, and the diluted dye color that you want. Mix a little bit of dye first – like 1 teaspoon into about 3 gallons of water (dissolve first in hot water, then pour this into the bucket of warm water. Figure out the proportions of the chemicals from the instructions in the catalog for using the reactive dyes.
Using rubber gloves, dip the shades into the bucket one at a time, for a measured number of seconds. When you get close to the color you want, put the shade down on some newspaper. Measuring the seconds will assist you to get all the shades close to the same color. Do this on the kitchen floor or outside on the porch.
The factors that will influence the color you get will be 1) the amount of dye dissolved in the bucket, and 2) the length of time you have the shade submerged in the dye solution.
There are a few reasons why this might not work! But if you are willing to try it, it might come out fine. If you try it, write back and tell me what happened!
have fun,
Jennifer