^ It's an interesting thing, though ... it seems like these interests kind of skip generations sometimes.
You make a good point ... it wasn't that long ago that middle-class people made their own clothes. They certainly gave thought to the colors and fabrics and styles and how they would wear ... it's a helluva investment when the labor is your own--not just the pattern-making and sewing, but all the cleaning and maintenance.
Contrast that with today when not only do we not know how to do it, a lot of name designers don't know how to make a pattern
PS Re lace making, the book
Lark Rise to Candleford explains really well how important lace-making was economically prior to machine-made lace. It was truly an important skill that made the difference between scraping by and comfort. The invention of the machines turned it into just a hobby (and created a lot of hardship). I think you'd like it ...