I love the aged look, too. I've found tea-dying works best on 100% cotton that's been pre-washed to remove any sizing or other treatment that would keep the color from absorbing. I've also read somewhere that the color lasts longer and is more insect-proof when you use a final wash in a dye-set solution, like Synthropol or Retayne. A friend of mine uses a mix of 2 cups vinegar, 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons of salt (this was enough to "fix" about a fat quarter of tea-dyed fabric) Haven't tried this method myself. I've also had pretty good luck using brewed coffee as a dye. If you do an on-line search for "Natural Dyes" you'll find some kinds of leaves, flowers and berries brew up to make pretty cool dyes as well.