I'm an early 40's but have memories of feed sack dresses. Both my grandmother's raised poultry and saved all the feed sacks and flour sacks for my mom so she could make dresses for me. My first coat was my dad's navy peacoat cut up and redone for a child's coat. Don't think they ever wasted anything, but don't remember ever feeling deprived or poor though I'm sure we were at the time.