There's a really interesting article on the etsy blog right now called "The History of a Cheap Dress". I found it via Lena Corwin's blog (she did the awesome illustration). The article discusses how women between the advent of the sewing machine and the 1950s either made their own clothing, had a seamstress make them, or were willing to invest in a quality piece. These items totaled an average of 9 outfits for the average woman, as opposed to 60 pieces of clothing purchased each year by women today. It really aligns with the reasoning I've had for learning to make my own clothing over the past 6 months.