My mom's cousin taught me how to sew cloths. She used the scraps for quilts. As my children were growing up and I made their cloths I saved the scraps to "someday" make a quilt. I recently made scrap quilts for my 2 oldest and each of them recognized fabrics from the past in them. I am always receiving scraps from people who no longer sew. I have a sister who makes cloths and always threw away the scraps. Now she saves them for me. She's not wasting and it is free for me.
I think people are more inclined to use a scrappy quilt rather than "saving" it for "special" use. They don't feel "guilty" if it gets worn out.