I am reminded of how often our skill sets fit our circumstances. Preschoolers that haven't seen a sewing machine but probably know how to operate a computer game that we can't figure out. It is a novelty item to them just like a computer game was to us.
It used to scare the daylights out of me to take my children to town because they had no concept of walking in traffic. My mother didn't drive and when I was 5 I could cross US41 by myself because I needed that skill.
My husband and I were talking about carrying water. My grandparents didn't have running water and neither did we several times in my life including the 7 years before I married. I know that I can more easily carry two buckets of water - no matter the size - than one but a lot of people we know don't realize that.
I know how to clean a chicken, milk a cow, churn butter, use a wringer washer and a million other skills most people today don't have because they don't need them for their life. Just the other day I showed a young man how to use a slide rule.
I have seen in this thread the comment that most adults don't need English, math and science but that simply isn't true. We just use them without realizing it.
I am not convinced we could slip right into the lives of any of the people we are criticizing for not sewing without some difficulty.
Just think, if they all wanted to do what we do it would drive prices even higher and God knows they are nearly out of range now!
JMHO