Oh I hear you ThomDave! : )
Yeah those soldiers really did know what they were doing! For the tea dye I actually used two bags of Lipton caffeinated tea and let them steam in boiling water for about 15 minutes. I then let it cool just a bit, enough to handle, and poured it into a large thick plastic container, dropping the teabags into the water to dissolve to nearly nothing. That part is key to the next step. Then I laid my costume out in the yard and loosened the lid on the plastic container and splashed and spattered the costume with the tea mixture. It looked a bit too dark and the remaining tea leaves would make some uneven darker spots, which is what I wanted. The good thing is that I knew that a lot of the darker spots would fade and lighten once the material was washed again. It really worked great! It now has that worn in, faded look I was going for.
Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions! I'll have to take some pictures and post them here of the complete weathered costume. It'll likely be a bit before I can get my finalized portfolio pics shot.
A suggestion also for those considering the tea dye method. In order to dye darker color clothing with the tea, you have to make your mixture stronger in order for it to show up on the darker fabric. The tea wasn't as noticeable on the pants, and was not visible at all on the pancho.
But it's a great method that really gives an authentic look!