Darning socks and replacing buttons/zippers are absolutely cost effective unless you’re making money money. Depending on the size/shape/location of tears in other pieces of clothing it might be, but it takes approximately one minute to sew a button back on and once you get the hang of it, under ten for socks or a zipper, working without a sewing machine.
Sewing your own clothing is a totally different ballgame. There you need patterns or significant planning time, and fabric is not exactly cheap. I’m sure people still do it by hand, but that’s hella time consuming and much more difficult than with a machine, which is also an investment (though you can often find them second hand at very affordable prices).
Darning socks and replacing buttons/zippers are absolutely cost effective unless you’re making money money. Depending on the size/shape/location of tears in other pieces of clothing it might be, but it takes approximately one minute to sew a button back on and once you get the hang of it, under ten for socks or a zipper, working without a sewing machine.
Sewing your own clothing is a totally different ballgame. There you need patterns or significant planning time, and fabric is not exactly cheap. I’m sure people still do it by hand, but that’s hella time consuming and much more difficult than with a machine, which is also an investment (though you can often find them second hand at very affordable prices).